Walking Down the Path of Destiny: A Barrier of Ice
by BloodyCrystal-Snowdancer
Summary: What if Chichiri had met Amiboshi and Suboshi when they were 9-year-old children? That chance meeting changed their lives...dramatically.
1. Prologue

Walking Down the Path of Destiny - A Barrier of Ice 

· Disclaimer: Fushigi Yuugi belongs to Yu Watase, Flower Comics and many others.  It is obvious that we aren't making any money out of this, or we wouldn't have remained impoverished schoolgirls.

· Summary: What if Chichiri had met up with Amiboshi and Suboshi when they were still nine-year-old children? Would the twins join the Seiryuu Seishi? Would Suboshi still be the traumatised teen that he was? And what of Chichiri himself? 

· Spoilers: For the entire series, the twins' novel (though there are some dramatic changes), and Chichiri's past (not for Chichiri's novel, though).

· Notes: Now, now, it wouldn't be _that_ hard to drop in a few decent reviews, would it? However, please don't flame, though _constructive_ criticism would certainly be welcome. 

Prologue

He saw the log coming, yet Houjun did not make any attempt to avoid it. In the midst of the pouring rain, balanced precariously on the riverbank, his hand clutched those he knew were Hikou's. Through his blurred vision, he could see Hikou's head bobbing in and out of the waters. He held on with his life.  

The log slammed directly into his left eye, and he was involuntarily thrown back onto the grass by the momentum. Little by little, he felt his consciousness ebbing away. 

"NOOO!!!" he mentally screamed, forcing himself to hold on, to hang on that very last thread of hope; even so, it was too late.

He felt Hikou's fingers slipping away from his, and Hikou's head disappeared under the swift undercurrent. Lurching himself forward, he blindly grabbed for what he knew was hopeless. 

Then, all was black.

***

It was awhile before Houjun regained consciousness. His left eye throbbed, consumed in pain and fire. Like a razor's slash. Staggering up, he touched his left eye. His hand came away covered in red, the sharp tang of blood filling his nostrils. Dimly, as if in a dream, the thought that he was blind registered in his mind. He couldn't even bring himself to care about it.

As he recollected what happened, a single tear streaked down from his good eye.

He couldn't even save his best friend. 

Hikou, and Kouran, lost to the world, forever gone, and all because of him. He was a murderer, and he had killed his best friend and fiancée in cold blood.

Pain seared through his soul, his mind consumed in agony and inferno. And then he screamed, so loud it was deafening, as if he wanted to drown this cruel world in his voice. 

As he did so, he was oblivious to the pale reddish glow that seemed to emanate from his body. The light grew around him, and when Houjun opened his eyes, the disaster before him stunned him speechless.

An entire tree burst into flames from root to crown, then another, and another, the fire so bright it blinded him temporarily, leaving a purple afterimage in his eyes. To his utter horror, he found himself enveloped in a bright glowing sphere, unharmed. A sphere the color of fire.

Then, just as quickly as it came, the light dispelled before his very eyes. When the last remnants of the shimmering aura faded away, Houjun sensed that his right knee was feeling strangely warm. 

Still shaking his head violently to deny the scene before him, he looked down at his knee in disbelief. Through his tattered clothing, he thought he saw flickering specks glowing motes there. A bright red similar to the blinding aura a moment ago. The colour of fire. 

Gingerly, he rolled up his pants. When he reached his knee, he failed to stifle his shocked gasp.

There, embedded in his left knee, as if part of his very skin, was a glowing red Chinese character of the symbol,  "Well". Cold fear grasped his heart. What creature had he turned into? 

Unbeknownst to Houjun, the appearance of this character symbolized the start of a preordained destiny, a destiny written by the stars. 

***

The flames died down after a while, as droplets of rain fell from the sky. Houjun was still in a daze, staring into the nothingness that was all he saw, not even acknowledging the change in weather, which seemed to mirror his current predicament. Too many things happened, all too soon, all too fast.

Houjun was by now soaked in the rain, and drops of it dripped off his pale blue hair and pattered to the ground. The bleeding from his left eye had stopped, and the blood washed away by the rain, stinging his wound. He was certain that he had lost one eye now, but what did it matter? He stared down at his hands, which not too long ago clutched those of Hikou's, who was now lost to this world forever, just as was Kouran. 

He finally dared himself to look down at his right knee. The character was still there, but it was faded now that he had significantly calmed down. He willed it to appear, and it responded, permeating from his tattered pants with a mystical glow just like before. And when it did, he felt a surge of energy flowing inside him, one he had not felt before. 

Is this supposed to be good or bad? What in the name of the four gods had happened to him? 

***

Just then, his surroundings began to change, the scorched forest being replaced by mountains and valleys so beautiful Houjun forgot about everything else for a moment. He felt himself moving, and looked down. To his bewilderment, he found that he was being suspended by nothing but a rug in midair.

Now WHAT?!

The flying rug took him closer and closer to a palace on top of the tallest mountain around, beneath it a carpet of cottony clouds. The sight was awesome and did not fit into any sense of logic at all. Houjun did not even know what to make of all of this, but resigned himself to see what else would follow.

The rug set him down gently in front of the palace, and after making sure it was solid floor he was on, he stood up. Not a moment too soon, before an old, wrinkly, and if Houjun would permit himself to say it, hag, appeared out of no where, her big crinkly eyes staring right into him. It scared the nine lives out of Houjun, and he fell back onto the ground, trembling.

"Greetings Houjun. You've finally made it to my palace. I am Taiitsukun, ruler and creator of this world you live in." 

What?  THE Taiitsukun? 

Houjun only managed a blank stare at the old lady with ribbons all about her. Unbelievable. So this is how the ruler of the world looks like.

"I see that you are confused by your recent happenings. Come inside, and I will enlighten you. But first we need to tend your wounds. Nyan Nyan!"

Instantaneously, pink bubbles appeared around Taiitsukun. They grew larger and larger and then with a pop, little girls who all looked alike appeared out of them. 

"NYAN NYAN!!!" They all said in unison, faces as cheerful as cheerful can be.

The little girls with green hair and pink frocks came up to Houjun, and without second word, carried him straight up and into the palace. Houjun waved his limbs frantically about, all the while wondering what the HECK is going on.

"TREATMENT, TREATMENT! HEAL, HEAL!" The nyan nyans said in chorus again, as they cleaned and healed up the wounded eye in a hustle. The powers of the nyan nyans were obvious, for in moments, only a neat scar remained, and Houjun no longer felt any pain.

"That was a nasty wound you got there!!" One of the nyan nyans said to Houjun. 

"It leaves a scar!" Continued another.

"Don't worry about it! It's not as bad as you think!" Said yet another.

"Yeah! It's nothing when you compare it to Taiitsukun's face!!" quipped the last one.

Unfortunately for the last Nyan Nyan, Taiitsukun caught the comment and wasn't the slightest bit amused. With a quick swish of her arm, she sent the Nyan Nyan hurtling off to space. Houjun stared wide-eyed at the spectacle, not knowing what to make of it.

"That's enough Nyan Nyan, you may leave now." Taiitsukun said evenly when she saw all was done. 

"BYE!! HAVE FUN!!" Gleefully the nyan nyans ran out of the chamber they were in, waving and smiling at Houjun.

After the nyan nyans left, Houjun finally took a look at the room he was in. It was indeed huge and palace-like. He couldn't be dreaming now, right? He felt his new scar in the place of his old eye just to make sure, while his good eye roamed the room, taking in as much as he could. It's not everyday you get to be in the Palace of the Creator, you know.

The next view startled him. Once again, all of a sudden, Taiitsukun's big booming face stared right back at him, which fortunately soon settled back into normal size again.

"Time for us to get back to business now shall we, Houjun?"

"Business? What business?"

"Do you have any idea what the symbol on your knee signifies?"

Houjun shook his head.

"Do you know what the red aura you created meant?"

He repeated the action.

"Well, red is the colour of Suzaku, Guardian God of the South, protector of your country, Konan. That aura was the aura of Suzaku."

Houjun nodded. Makes sense when you think of it. He was from Konan after all. But why did Suzaku's light appear?

"Apparently the grief you had to endure prompted the start of your destiny, Houjun." She paused for a moment. "That symbol you bear signifies that you are Chichiri, one of the Suzaku Shichiseishis, or the Seven Suzaku Warriors, destined to protect the Priestess of Suzaku!"

Houjun was dumbstruck. He? A member of the Suzaku Seven? How much more absurd can things get? But this was coming from Taiitsukun, so she couldn't be lying, right?

"How… how can this be? I'm only a common peasant who's just lost all I had…" stammered Houjun, once again consumed by the guilt and grief.

"It is the truth, Chichiri. This is your fate, written by the stars even before you were born. This is what you were destined to be. No running away from it."

***

·  So? How was it? We know that the prologue is actually just a scene played out from Chichiri's past, but we promise the alternate universe fic will begin next chapter! A prologue isn't really the story, is it? Now, just be a nice reader and click on the review button to give us some encouragement, ok? 


	2. Meetings

Meetings

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he wearily trudged through the endless grounds. Five months of traveling, and _still_ not a single living soul in sight. Much as he liked walking, roaming the world in the middle of the hot summer was definitely _not_ a good idea. 

The blazing sun glared down mercilessly. By the name of Suzaku, why did it have to be _so _hot! His temper was undeniably deteriorating. Which fool had said that monks were supposed to be placid and composed anyway?

 Snorting derisively, Chichiri admitted that he wasn't ideal monk material from the start, though Taiitsukun had fixed that, in a way. Monks were supposed to have lots of patience, or so they say, and you need _lots _of that while living with Taiitsukun. And he had felt that his only way to rid himself if some of the endless guilt was to choose this path. Maybe as a monk, he could find peace.  He had lost all hope of having a family after losing Kouran. He loved only her, even if she didn't return his love. And he did not deserve to lead a normal life after what he had done. Even if Hikou had betrayed him, he shouldn't have fought him.  If only he had the power he had now, if only he had the maturity he now possessed, if only…

Uncomfortably aware of the dampness of his clothes, he couldn't help but think fondly of the beauty and serenity of Mount Taikyoku. Or the occasional serenity of it, anyway, what with nyan nyans running all over the mountains and Taiitsukun popping above your head. If it hadn't been for that _weird _feeling…

He had to do something, see something. But he doesn't what it was going to be. He had been told to trust his instincts, and his instincts had told him to travel. Not to mention that Taiitsukun had finally managed to get on his nerves, and him on hers. She had told him rather bluntly that it was more than past time for him to get his ass out in the normal world again, though not in so many words, of course.

But why oh why, did it have to be in _this_ weather? This is pure torment! Maybe he should teleport himself to the nearest village… but he didn't know _where_ the nearest village was.

Suzaku, he's getting even hotter! Maybe he should keep his temper down. Calm, tranquil, calm, tranquil, calm…

Chanting the words repeatedly like some mantra, Chichiri resumed his torturous track over the parched lands; making a mental note to ask Taiitsukun for a cooling spell the first time he gets the chance.  

That was how he thought of himself now, Chichiri, Suzaku no Shichiseishi, no longer the once innocent teenager he had been. It had seemed such a long time ago… and yet it was forever carved within his very soul. Hikou and Kouran remained fresh in his mind, the rain… Hikou's fingers slipping form his… 

Absently rubbing the coarse scar that had once been his left eye, Suzaku Seishi Chichiri trudged on, the burning heat temporarily forgotten.

***

He couldn't believe his eyes, a village! At last! After all these _months_! Unable to conceal his excitement, Chichiri made his way to the quaint village in all haste. Which meant he _scampered_ down the hill he had been on a few seconds ago. Who ever said monks needed to be elegant anyway? 

***

"Umph!!" 

Chichiri looked down at the unfortunate person who had managed to get into his way. Deep lavender eyes peered back at him. It was a  boy of maybe eight or nine, small and scrawny for his age, with tousled greenish blonde hair.  A shopping basket lay at his feet, its contents spilled onto the ground. 

"Sorry, I'm…" Suddenly Chichiri noticed that the boy was staring at him, his eyes misted with fear. 

_My scar, I must look like a monster to him._ He smiled reassuringly, taking a step toward the boy.  Which turned out to be a huge mistake. The child backed away in pure terror, his eyes remaining locked onto Chichiri's scar. 

"Wait… I'm not going to hurt you…" Chichiri caught the boy's arm as the child tripped over his heels in panic.

"Let go of me! Nii-chan!! Please let go!" Chichiri could only stare in horror as tears started streaming down the boy's cheeks, who was struggling within his grasp.

"Let go of my brother!" Another voice yelled. Chichiri looked up… and gaped. 

It must be the after-effects of the heat, he's starting to see double. Another boy stood in front of him, completely identical to the one who had just managed to free himself from Chichiri's grasp during his distraction.

"Nii-chan!" The boy who had collided into Chichiri flung himself into his mirror image's arms.

Chichiri felt a migraine coming.  This was just too much. First the infernal heat, next the hysterical boy, and now the boy's doppelganger. Suzaku, what did he do to deserve this? 

Forcing himself to think with a semblance of rationality, Chichiri studied the boys once more. Twins, that must be it.  And from the way they acted, the one he had knocked down must be the younger twin. They were completely identical from head to toe, albeit the younger one seems thinner and sicklier. 

"Shun-chan, are you all right?" the older twin asked worriedly, clutching his brother tightly.

His younger brother buried his head in the folds of his brother's tunic. "Nii-chan, it's him, he scares me…"

The older twin glared at Chichiri. "Leave us alone." He started to pull his younger brother back. Chichiri made no move to follow, less he start terrorizing the twins again.

Seeing that he had no intent to come after them, the elder of the two relaxed a little, though he still eyed Chichiri warily. 

Chichiri smiled gently, trying to look as amicable as possible, though he was sure he couldn't accomplished much with that gruesome scar on his face. "I'm sorry, it was only an accident, and I didn't mean to terrify your brother."

The elder twin nodded, though he didn't stop backing away.  Inwardly, though, he was already starting to feel strangely at ease with this extraordinary monk. There was something… about the scarred man that gave him a sense of comfort and warmth, though he couldn't quite place it. But he was sure that the man wouldn't do anything to harm him or otouto. Though he certainly couldn't blame Shun-chan for panicking at the start. The angry scar over the monk's left eye made him appear gruesome, but he also exuded a sense of familiarity, as if they had something in common. 

His younger brother, sensing his brother's calmness through the intense bond that they shared, dared himself to peek another look at the strange monk… and spotted another problem.

"Nii-chan, the shopping… Shouko will kill me when she finds out."  The younger one had already turned a deathly pale, not relishing the idea of another beating and a month with only one meal a day. 

His brother clenched his teeth in fury, Shun-chan didn't deserve this type of treatment. It wasn't his otouto's fault that he couldn't do his chores properly because he was frequently sick. But they didn't have anywhere to go. Who would take in nine-year-old kids with practically nothing but the clothes on their backs? Shun-chan wasn't suited for traveling. This way, at least he has a roof to sleep under and guaranteed meals, however poor they might be. 

"Don't worry, I won't let her hurt you, I promise." Even so, he was already worrying about how he might stop that hag from doing anything. He could defend his brother when it came to that, but he didn't want anybody to know about the powers he possessed. Not yet. 

"Excuse me?" Chichiri noticed the dilemma and predicaments the twins were facing. Commiseration welled within him. It was obvious they were being mistreated. " Take this money, it should be enough to pay for everything." He pressed a few coins into the elder twin's hand. The naked desire in the younger twin's eyes was painfully obvious. The elder one, however, declined.

"I can't, I mean… I shouldn't take your money…" he floundered, but he couldn't hide the longing in his eyes either.

Chichiri sighed. What were these boys going through? "It was my fault, anyway. I'm not offering any help, merely compensating for the damage done. You won't be owing me anything."

The elder twin still hesitated. Okaasan had always told him not to accept anything from strangers, but this monk seems so nice…

"Nii-chan, _please…_ " Shun-chan's large pleading eyes decided him. He couldn't bear to let Shun-chan suffer. 

"Thank you, kind sir." Now they had better get the shopping done before Shouko sends those hideous crones she called daughters after them. He didn't like thinking badly of anybody, but he despised Shouko's daughters almost as much as he hated Shouko herself. They teased Shun-chan mercilessly, leaving him in tears every time. 

Shun-chan had evidently run the same line of thoughts as well. Before he could even thank the monk a second time, his younger brother was already dragging him down the street.

Chichiri could only watch them vanish among the crowd. They had seem so adorable, and the elder one so protective towards his younger twin. He hadn't even managed to ask them their names. Weird, for one moment, he had thought he sensed something when the elder twin appeared. But it was only a fleeting sensation, maybe it had only been his imagination gone wild after having to deal with the heat and facing identical twins. 

***

Chichiri intently studied the reflection that had materialized on the calm surface of the crystal-clear pond, satisfied with the results of his work. An ever-smiling face beamed back at him. The most amiable, pleasant, and forthcoming face to ever exist. Without that repulsive scar, of course. Removing the mask from his face, he stared thoughtfully into space. If he had worn this mask on that fateful day, he wouldn't have terrified that little boy. If fate should ever decide to let him meet those twins again, he would have to thank them for this. Now, he would always have a happy front to face the world. In fact, he could almost make himself believe that he_ did_ feel happier.

"Wearing this _does_ make me feel happier, no da." He laughed softly to himself. A funny speech pattern to go with a humorous mask. How fitting. Now he wouldn't have to deal with the looks of horror and revulsion he received from almost everyone. Some even had pity in their eyes. Pity! As if he had ever deserved it. That was what that had made everything so difficult to bear. When the public sympathized in him, those dreadful memories would come flooding back unsolicited. Hikou…when could he ever forgive himself? 

Chichiri shook his head furiously. He shouldn't be thinking of that now. It was such a beautiful day; he didn't want to waste it. Taiitsukun had always chided him for his behavior. She had always claim that helping the living was always more important than mourning for the dead. Such pious words coming from that revolting visage had always seem incongruous, and Chichiri couldn't help but laugh every time he thought about it. Especially when he remembered Taiitsukun's expression after he had burst into laughter right before her. She hadn't been particularly…pleased. And she had literally exploded when the nyan-nyans supported his opinion full heartedly. He was lucky that she had spared him the consequences of her wrath. In fact, she was gratified that she had finally succeeded in getting him to laugh. 

How could he have been so stupid? Taiitsukun was right, as she always was, he admitted ruefully, except for that small issue of her looks, of course. All those years, wasted. Laughing feels so good. Funny to think that it was two young boys who had finally brought him to his senses. He wondered how they were getting along right now. They hadn't been treated very well when he saw them. Shun-chan, the younger one especially. He regretted not being able to help them any more than he had. He had tried asking the villagers in that village, sure that anyone would remember such endearing identical twins, but he had only found out that they came from another village, and didn't talk much to anybody, always seeming to be in a hurry to return home. And unless he was terribly off the mark, he knew exactly why. Their guardians didn't encourage them to socialize, probably the lesser time the twins spend talking, the more work they get done.

He did hope that their luck had taken a better turn; they weren't suited for the life they were leading then. From what little information he had managed to glean from the villagers, he did know that they were orphans. Mistreated orphans, from the looks of it. Maybe the elder twin had managed to find both of them a better home, or someone else had taken pity on them. He certainly had. But he had failed to help them, even though he had tried. 

_They _had certainly changed his life significantly, though. His reflection grinned at him. 

"Domo arigatou, no da." Chichiri grabbed a fishing pole and settled back to fish, slowly settling into a peaceful meditative stance.

***

Koutoku seethed within. Despite all his efforts, they had arrived home late and ended up getting punished. Losing their dinner was the least of the problems on his mind right now. His body still ached from the beatings that he had received, but he didn't even notice it. He couldn't help glancing at his younger brother worriedly. If Shouko or her daughters saw him doing that, they were sure to concoct a brand new series of punishments. He didn't care. Right now, the only thing on his mind was Shunkaku. His bother had already come down with a steadily rising fever. Scrubbing his soapy hands on his threadbare pants, Koutoku laid a hand on his brother's forehead gingerly. What he felt alarmed him. He had already sensed that Shun-chan wasn't well through their bond, but he hadn't imagined that it was _this_ bad. This was all his fault. If only he had gone looking for his brother earlier, they wouldn't have arrived home late. He didn't dare tell Shouko about Shun-chan's condition, she would only sneer and set them even more tedious tasks than washing plates. 

"Otouto, shh…" he whispered softly. 

His brother gazed at him through red-rimmed, blurry eyes. " Hmm, nii-chan?"  

"Pass the plates over to me, keep one or two for yourself, so that Shouko won't notice, hurry." 

As his brother handed over the dishes, Koutoku was shocked to notice that otouto's hands were trembling. He didn't know how much longer Shun-chan could take this. Shunkaku was already in a dream-like daze, his trembling hands scrubbing the plate he held almost mechanically. 

"Clang!!!!!" The sound was almost deafening to Koutoku's ears. Seiryuu, no, not this. Anything but this.

Right on cue, the fat crone of the house appeared. Before Koutoku could do anything, she had already delivered a swift blow to the back of Shunkaku's neck, the force of the blow making the boy stumble forward.

"Don't! Onegai, don't beat him anymore, he isn't feeling well… onegai…" Koutoku pleaded, shielding his brother from any more blows.

Shouko sneered. "As if that is anything new, that sniveling brat has been sick for as long as I could remember. He can't pass a day without destroying something, both of you are more trouble than you're worth. Worthless creatures." 

"Gomen nasai," Shunkaku said softly, tears welling in his eyes.

"Shut up! Don't you dare cry on me now, you already owe me _tons_, both of you can work to the death and you still wouldn't be able to pay back a tenth of it!" She eyed Shunkaku distastefully." Not that you'll live for very long anyway."  

"He didn't mean to!" Koutoku clutched his brother defensively, the words pouring out of his mouth without thinking. "If only you would allow him to go and see a doctor, he would be able to do his chores better!"

Koutoku shielded his brother as best as he could when the fat woman lashed out at him. "I've already spent too much on both of you, you can already count me generous enough that I'm letting you live here! If it weren't for me, both of you would be sleeping under the hedges and your brother would probably be a month-old corpse by now!"

Koutoku bit his lip painfully, not trusting himself to speak, fearing that he might worsen the situation, which he had already done.

"Both of you can finish washing the plates, than you can clean the barns as well. After that, you can chop the firewood behind the house. " Her smile wasn't particularly pleasant. It reeked with grim satisfaction. "While you're at it, you might as well weed the garden. And if that crybaby breaks anything more, you can spend the rest of the night outside." The door slammed close after her.  

Koutoku's mind was afire with worry and dread. He eyed his brother in trepidation. They were doomed to stay out for the night anyway. How could Shun-chan take the strain and exhaustion? And it was entirely his fault, again. 

Shunkaku felt his brother's distress. "I'm… I'm sorry, nii-chan." He sniffed, struggling to choke back the sobs that were threatening to overcome him, to no avail. He didn't mean to break that plate, but he had felt so hot, and yet so cold. His head was aching terribly, and every movement was torture. 

"Ne, everything's going to be okay. It's not your fault." Of course it wasn't Shunkaku's fault. Koutoku felt so hopeless. He had sworn to take care of his brother, and so far he was doing a miserable job.

"Don't worry, Shun-chan, everything's all right," he said, stroking his younger brother's head absently." Everything's all right."  

***

Koutoku traced a finger across his brother's flushed cheeks. Shunkaku slept fitfully, the pale moonlight illuminating his gaunt face. Alit by the moon's glare, the few strands of stray hair that fell over Shunkaku's eyes were painted silver, his skin cast an alabaster white.

Koutoku brushed away the stray bangs that framed his brother's face gently. Shun looked so innocent, so vulnerable. He bit his lip as his eyes took in the angry slashes on Shunkaku's arms. His brother gets beaten almost everyday. How could they expect him to do his chores properly if they fed him only once a day and refuse to let him see a doctor? 

Shun trusted him so much that it hurt. Right now, he felt as if he were betraying him.  

_I don't mind, as long as you're with me, nii-chan._

Shun had promised to try hard as long they were together. Koutoku's vision blurred, tears welling in his eyes. 

"I'm sorry… Shun, but it's the only way. Please…forgive me." He couldn't bear to see his brother suffer any more. Anything he had ever done in his entire life had been for Shunkaku. So was what he was going to do. But the thought of leaving his brother was almost unbearable. He couldn't take Shun along. His sickly brother could never sleep outside in the cold, harsh nights, or go for weeks without a proper meal. This way, at least he'll have a roof to shelter at night, and food, however inadequate it might be. 

"Promise me you'll wait for me, Shun-chan. When I find her, I'll return. Promise me that." He would put an end to all this, when he finds her, he could put an end to all this. Shunkaku wouldn't have to endure the torment he was going through now.

"Promise me…" And with those last words to the only person that he loved, Koutoku ran out into the dark, starless night, tears flowing unchecked as he did so.

***

_Snowdancer_: I do so love twin sap! (_skips round happily while BloodyCrystal gags in the background, and BloodyCrystal was supposed to be a twin supporter…^-^_)

We actually intended this to be a Chichiri fic, but oh well, you _do _have to admit the twins are such cuties. So now it's a fic on Chichiri _and_ the twins, no da! (Snowdancer claims Chichiri while BloodyCrystal gets the twins, but since BloodyCrystal's more of an Amiboshi fangirl, Snowdancer takes Suboshi as well)

_BloodyCrystal_: Don't you dare! _Both_ are mine! (_starts strangling Snowdancer)_

_Snowdancer_   : You don't like Suboshi anyway! So _I_ get the so-called evil (and in Snowdancer's eyes, cooler) twin. 

_BloodyCrystal_:  I like both! Keep your dirty hands off him!

_Snowdancer_   :  No way! Stick to Amiboshi, _I_ get Suboshi!

_BloodyCrystal_:  What!? You little mean, low-down, despicable twin-snatcher! (_pounces on Snowdancer_)

_Suboshi_ : (_looks at the two fighting girls apprehensively_) Aniki… I'm scared…

_Amiboshi:_ (_sweatdrops_) We'd better get going before those rabid fangirls notice us, otouto.

_Suboshi : Hai! (__both twins sneaked off)_

_BloodyCrystal :(_looks round for the twins_) Where are my twins? See what you've done! Now I've lost both of them!_

_Snowdancer_    :  What did you mean by _that_? It was _your _fault in the first place! You should have given me Suboshi!

_BloodyCrystal _:  They're _mine_! You already have Chichiri!

_Snowdancer    _:  That's unfair! You'll have _two_ bishonen!

_BloodyCrystal_ :  (_rolls eyes_) They look the _same_…

_Snowdancer   _ :  No they don't! Suboshi's way cooler!

_BloodyCrystal _:  Amiboshi's cooler!

_Snowdancer   _ :  No he isn't! Suboshi! (_lunges at BloodyCrystal)_

_BloodyCrystal_ :  Amiboshi!

And the fight begins anew…

There are some Japanese words in this fic, though they're all _extremely_ elementary. Just in case they're a problem, here's a quick reference on the words used.

           _Nii-chan_ - elder brother

           _Otouto_ - younger brother__

_        -chan_ ( as in Shun-chan, nii-chan, etc) - a term of endearment for those held dear.

_        Domo arigato_ - thank you. ( everybody knows this one. ^-^)

_        Gomen nasai_ - sorry

_        Onegai _- please

_        ne_ - just an expression, like 'eh' .

If it hasn't been clear by now, Koutoku was Amiboshi's birth name, and Shunkaku was Suboshi's. ( ducks rotten tomatoes thrown by annoyed readers - "Stop repeating the obvious, what do you think we are? Stupid?)  


	3. Tears of a Child

Tears Of A Child

It was night-time. What hour it was he did not know. It just seemed so nice to just lie here among the tall grass of the plains behind the village he just ventured into during the day. For once, since he set foot out of Mount Taikyoku, Chichiri felt comfortable. Comfortable in a sense that it wasn't blazing hot, and he knew he was somewhere which had other human beings other than himself. He could hear faint noises coming from the village square, which was still mildly active during the night, joined in with a chorus of nocturnal insects. Staring up at the unfortunately starless sky, Chichiri felt peace emanating from his surroundings, which took his mind off his past for the moment. By the will of Suzaku, he might just be able to walk out of his misery one day. But he decided to carry the memory of Hikou and Kouran together with him for the rest of his life, together with the yoke of guilt that came with it. If anything, it would be a lesson well learnt.

Chichiri gave a little sigh and was about to doze off underneath the watch of the moon, when he heard sounds, sounds that weren't there just a moment before. It was faint, yet it did not fit in with the serenity of the night. The sound became louder, and Chichiri could make it out that it was the sound of a child sobbing and running in his direction. Who could it be? The child must be trying to leave, for this plain was one of the routes leading out of the village. 

He just lay there, waiting for the child, which was running blindly towards him through sheer coincidence. He surely did not want to scare the poor child away, as he had done earlier. In fact, he wanted to help, and appearing suddenly from the grass like a ghost was definitely not a way to comfort a troubled child.

Sure enough, the child just ran and ran, until he tripped on Chichiri's body on the ground and fell, still sobbing. Chichiri took this moment to grab the startled child by the arms, who let out a yelp for being held in the dark.

Beneath the silvery moonlight and Chichiri's trained eye, he was surprised and startled to see that he recognized the child. It was one of the twins. Which one, he couldn't tell, however. 

"Let me go! Who are you?! Let go of me!! Urgh!"  were the words that sputtered out of the boy's mouth, kicking and struggling at the monk's grasp.

"Calm down. It's just me, the scar faced monk you met on your way to do some shopping. But don't worry, I've put on a mask now, so you won't see the nasty scar anymore. I'll be forever grinning so I won't scare anymore people."

The boy calmed down considerably, shoulders still heaving from both the crying and running. Chichiri took this as a cue to introduce himself.

"My name's Chichiri, no da. Which one of you are you?"

"…the…older one. Bu Koutoku …" came the reply, so soft that Chichiri had to strain his ears to make it out. He felt the boy's small hands clutching tightly at his clothes. Something terrible must have happened, noting the absence of the younger twin.

"Where are you going so late at night?" Chichiri asked gently, intending to coax the boy into opening up to him.

***

Koutoku didn't know what it was or why, but he felt again the sense of comfort he felt earlier upon meeting this strange monk for the first time. Maybe it was his calm soothing voice as well. He couldn't remember the last time any grown-up ever spoke to him in this manner. All he remembered was Shouko and her daughters scolding and beating them. Something in this Chichiri made him feel like spilling everything out, all the sadness and helplessness bottled inside him.

"I'm leaving the town to look for … a better job…One that could support my otouto better…" was his reply to the monk's question. It wasn't the whole truth, yet it wasn't a lie either. 

"Why? What's wrong?"

The note of concern was apparent in the blue haired monk's voice, and Koutoku felt in his gut that he could trust this man. After all, what did he have to lose?

"We're both orphans, Shunkaku and I. We lost our parents during a village massacre, and have been alone ever since. We were both sold to Shouko of this village by a slave trader, and have been working our skins off for her. All for a meal a day, and some shelter at night. But if that's not bad enough, we get beaten at every slightest mistake we make. Shun-chan has always been weak compared to me. He's sick, and can't take all these any much longer…I…I have to protect him…I'm all that he has left…" With this, he broke down sobbing again, this time on Chichiri's shoulder. Deep down, though, Koutoku still held back his deepest secret. He didn't want to deceive Chichiri, but he just couldn't find a way to tell the whole truth either.

***

So that's why they seemed so in need of money earlier. Poor kids. Having their parents killed at such a tender age, having to fend for themselves. And it wasn't their fault to have such an un-sympathetic mistress. That old crone should be glad she wasn't here right now, for Chichiri sure felt like hitting her flat. These twins are still young to suffer so much! Especially Koutoku, who spoke with a maturity well beyond his age. 

"Koutoku? I've just made up my mind."

"Hmm? What is it, Chichiri-san?" Koutoku lifted his tear-stained face from Chichiri's shoulder, wondering what he meant.

"I'm going to help you and your brother. I'm going to get both of you out of the hell you're living in, and get him to a doctor. Then, I'll find a good foster home for both of you, away from this village and that Shouko."

He looked down at the boy, who just stared up at him with glassy eyes filled with wonder and astonishment. And happiness.

"You mean it, Chichiri-san? Helping me and Shun-chan?" but then he looked downcast again. "But how? We don't have any money to pay you…"

"Nonsense! I'm not doing this for money, na no da! I just want to see both of you happy, living a child's life like it should be led. So, do you trust me?"

***

Bu Koutoku looked up at Chichiri, and nodded his head.

Things will be better from now on, Shun-chan. They will be. I just know it.

***

Shunkaku stared wide-eyed at the monk before him. Until Koutoku nudged him surreptitiously, "Stop gaping, otouto, he might find it rude."

Shunkaku tried to avert his gaze, to no avail. He couldn't understand. Why is it that the monk has on a perpetual smile? Doesn't his face ache? And what is it with that 'no daa-ing' business, anyway? He continued to study the monk, who had his back turned towards him, fortunately.

"His name's Chichiri, and he has a mask on, Shun-chan. A smiling mask doesn't ache," Koutoku whispered next to him. 

Shunkaku snapped out of his silent musings with a start. How did aniki know what he was thinking? 

Koutoku merely grinned at his younger brother in amusement. " You can be _so _obvious at times, Shun-chan. "

Shunkaku huffed and folded his arms, mildly offended. Koutoku smiled gently and put an arm around his brother's shoulders. He could not suppress the welling anticipation within him as he watched Chichiri in silence, At last, they were going to be _free._

***

Unaware of the quiet exchange between the twins, Chichiri continued to put all his monkly skills in practice. Dealing with Shouko and her husband was definitely testing his exhausted amount of patience. He would like nothing better than to drag both of them by the scruffs of their necks and shake the hell out of them. As it was, he wondered why nobody could hear him gritting his teeth. They were asking for an _outrageous_ price. What did they think the monks nowadays are? Bankers? 

Three thousand gold ryou, and not a copper lesser. " Shouko had greed written all over her pockmarked face. Chichiri wondered who in his right mind would encumber himself with such a woman. 

 _Then again… _A glance at her drunkard husband made him reconsider his previous thought. Those two are _destined_ for each other. 

"Perhaps a lesser price… the younger one seems to be a weakling. He's going to cost me a fortune in medical fees." Chichiri hated himself for saying that. It was heartless, and cruel nonetheless. However, if he didn't start to haggle, the twins are going to stay just where they are. "Two thousand gold ryou should cover the price."

Shouko's husband arched an eyebrow. " Two thousand?" The corners of his mouth quirked into a smirk. A decidedly unpleasant expression. "I fear you misunderstand. My wife actually meant to say that they cost three thousand…each." 

"_Nani_!!??"  Chichiri sincerely hoped that his eye wasn't bugging out. He realized that his mouth was hanging open and shut it with a snap.

"Well?" Shouko's husband inquired, the smirk deepening. Chichiri tried his best not to gawk. That man was supposed to be inebriated! How could he be so…so _sober _when it came to money matters?

Chichiri stiffened his resolve. Those crooks are going to rob him of his clothes if they can get away with it. "They aren't worth it. They're both too young. Two thousand gold ryou are more than sufficient. "

Shouko's husband wasn't fazed by his insistence. "Then what are you standing here for? Go someplace else where you can find workers of a more… suitable age."

Chichiri glowered at him. If looks could kill, that drunkard would be dead with a few daggers through his back. With that one sentence, he had cunningly trapped Chichiri on the spot. It was either pay up, or leave. Chichiri didn't dare to try pretending the latter, the couple seemed capable of carrying out their threats through pure spite. 

Well he isn't a Suzaku seishi for _nothing._ He had a couple of notably useful connections as well. Taiitsukun's certainly going to murder him for this. 

"Perhaps you would be able to _excuse_ me for a moment." Chichiri said sardonically.

"Of course. You seem to be reconsidering. Finally decided that the price is actually reasonable?" Shouko asked, a noticeable sneer spreading across her countenance.   
Chichiri bared his teeth in what should have been a smile, but passed for a snarl instead. On his way out of the house, he felt a shy, hesitant tug on his sleeve.

"Chichiri-san?" Koutoku inquired worriedly. 

"Shhh… Everything will be fine." Chichiri tried not to grimace. _" Or until Taiitsukun finds out, anyway," _he mentally added. Koutoku, however, looked visibly reassured.

***

 Chichiri surveyed the pile of gold before him critically. Mount Taikyoku's resources are going to prove useful. He had found a secluded spot in a nearby clearing, and teleported the money needed from Taiitsukun's personal collection. It wasn't exactly _stealing. _As the creator of the world, Taiitsukun certainly didn't need money. It's made for poor, impoverished monks such as himself. He had merely forgotten to ask permission first.

"Oh well," he muttered," I can ask when I get back… if that old crone lets me live long enough."

***

"My…my… I didn't know that monks were so rich." Shouko's eyes were ablaze with desire.

_"You didn't know, and you asked for six thousand gold ryou. If you knew, you would have asked for twenty thousand. How sweet of you." _Chichiri thought sarcastically with a derisive snort.  

"Where did you get the money from?" Shouko's husband asked suspiciously. 

Chichiri couldn't resist it. "Oh, _that_," he said disparagingly. "Why, it puffed out of thin air."

Not staying to admire the couple's enraged faces, most regretfully, he grabbed the twins' hands and stalked out of the house. 

***

Chichiri stayed in the background while the elderly couple fussed and cooed over the twins. They had always wanted children of their own, and now they were enthusiastic over having the twins under their            care. A trifle over-passionate, perhaps. Koutoku was obviously embarrassed, while Shunkaku was actually intimidated by the couple's display of affection. They'll get over it though. Right now, Chichiri was much more concerned about the explanation Taiitsukun would expect of him when he got back. He doubted the old crone would understand the necessity to pay six thousand gold ryou to save a pair of twins. This was all so unfair. Monks just weren't expected to be millionaires. And yet he had to play the role of one. If he had known, he wouldn't have become a monk, it would be much more profitable to be a real millionaire instead.

"Chichiri-san? Chichiri-san?" It was Koutoku. He had somehow escaped from the couple's incessant fussing.

"Hai?" Chichiri asked distractedly, half of his mind still on monks and millionaires. And an extremely furious Taiitsukun.

Koutoku lowered his gaze. "Arigatou." He shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "I don't know how to thank you… but we… how can I ever repay you?"

" Koutoku, I helped you because I wanted to, I don't intend to ask anything of you." Chichiri glanced obliquely at the old couple, who were now mussing the hair of a very irritated nine-year-old. "Though it certainly wouldn't hurt if you promised to be nice to your foster parents, ne?"

Koutoku grinned. "You needn't even ask."

***

"Leaving so soon? Chichiri-san, why don't you stay longer? " Koutoku begged, with Shunkaku nodding eagerly. 

"I would love to, Koutoku, but I really have to go." Chichiri sighed. Taiitsukun had probably found out about the alarming rate of money reduction by now. 

Koutoku's face fell. "Where are you going then?"

"Need I be going anywhere?" He wouldn't be able to go anywhere after Taiitsukun had finished with him, he was certain of that. Life was just so unfair.

"Chichiri-san, do promise you'll visit," Shunkaku pleaded, his eyes wide and beseeching.

Chichiri smiled. The younger twin had been terrified of him at first, but Shunkaku had come to like and trust Chichiri well enough after seeing him in his mask. 

"I will."

The twins and their newfound family sent him off. The elderly couple couldn't seem to accept the fact that Chichiri didn't need rations, for certain undisclosed reasons.  Chichiri, however, persevered, though the old lady seemed to think that he was being unreasonably foolish.

***

 _Back at Mount Taikyoku…_

"SUZAKU SHICHI SEISHI CHICHIRI! What in the name of the four gods did you think you were DOING? Without MY permission!"

"Aww… you're really in for it now," one of the nyan-nyans offered helpfully.

"It not as if she really cares about money…" another continued.

"Nah, she's just sensitive about a certain someone who didn't say please." 

"The grand conclusion is…"

"You're dead!!!" They all chorused happily.

Chichiri just wished that the ground would split open at his feet and swallow him whole.

***

·  Um… the next chapter's going to be a little slow, as we've got our hands full with add-maths projects, exams, etc. So please be patient, it'll probably be another half-a-month or so. (sighs) 

· Still need the Japanese reference stuff? Here it is.

   _-san_ - a term of respect

   _nani_ - what

· _Please _review! (falls onto knees)  Onegai? 

· All right, the prologue and first two chapters have the boring past life covered  ( runs from onslaught of Chichiri and Boshi twins fans) . Next chapter's going to be in the Fushigi Yuugi series timeline! Finally…


	4. Rendezvous

Rendezvous

  Miaka instinctively followed the trail of music. It beckoned, calm and soothing, and yet strangely hypnotising in quality, even vaguely seductive. Wistful notes tugged at the edge of her consciousness, barely within the threshold of hearing. She could almost dismiss it as the wind, but no wind could play such a nostalgic melody, so sweet and sad, so surreal in quality. The distant strains of music sounded even more haunting now, echoing in the forlorn night, encompassing Miaka's entire soul.

  Abruptly, the heart-rending tune ended in a raw shriek, as if the musician was struck with pain and terror in the midst of his performance. Miaka took a step back, and froze as a strong breeze rose around her. Before she could gather enough breath to scream, countless black shapes assaulted her vision. The first stab of pain struck at the side of her neck. She screamed reflexively, trying in vain to cover her face with her hands. As she tried to strike away the creatures that assailed her, her hands were met with soft, furry bodies, while the constant drum of the beating of leathery wings resounded around her. 

  "REKKA SHINEN!!" Miaka tensed as a wave of heat washed over her, scorching the multitude of bats. She could hear Tasuki swearing in the background as a seemingly larger wave of bats closed in the fire's wake.

  Amidst all the confusion, she saw the faint gleam of Chichiri's shakujou as it flashed in the pale moonlight, knocking off some of the bats before Chichiri pulled her back from the oncoming onslaught, trying his best to shield her with his body. 

  Suddenly, a sharp note pierced through the air like a spear. The bats erupted in chaos as the music increased in volume, tearing through them like a volley of arrows. 

  "What's going on? " Nuriko inquired disbelievingly, his arm still stretched out in mid-air to swat the vicious beasts, cautiously glancing up to see the bats plummet to the ground, their bodies twitching helplessly. 

  The music rose higher in pitch, swirling around them, yet remaining safely above their heads. A subtle movement caught Miaka's eye, and she looked up to see a faint silhouette emerging from the dark shadows. 

  As the musician approached, Miaka could make out the outlines of his face. The faint moonlight revealed him to be a boy in his early teens, his face framed by soft wisps of hair that were painted a pale silver in the moonlight. His clothing hung in tatters on his slender frame, while dried blood crusted on the numerous bite-wounds on his body. The boy's eyes were closed in concentration as his fingers travelled rapidly across the length of a wooden flute.

  The raw, intense melody failed to affect Miaka, but a shrill cry came from the branches above her head. Nuriko and Tasuki looked up to see a black-cloaked figure perched on a tree limb, clutching his head with one hand in agony and clinging on to the tree with the other for support.   

  The black-cloaked man tumbled to the ground with a cry of pain as the last note penetrated the night. 

  The flutist leaned against a tree for support, lowering his instrument. He lifted his head, lavender eyes strangely pensive as his gaze fell on each of them in turn.

***

  Amiboshi ran his eyes over Suzaku no Miko and each of her companions.

  "_She has three of her seishi with her…_" His thoughts shattered as his gaze fell onto the blue-haired monk. The ever-smiling mask, the gravity-defying bangs…

  "_No, it can't be…_"

  With that one last thought, Amiboshi collapsed onto the forest floor. 

***

    Amiboshi felt partially non-existent. He felt as though he was floating in a vast expanse of nothingness. Dimly he was aware of sounds around him, but they were barely there. It felt strangely peaceful, somehow. 

   He let his mind wander about his memory; how he and Suboshi had spent the early years of their lives in happiness, only to be shattered by the war, which took away both of their parents, leaving them alone at the tender age of five. Since then, they had practically been nomads, working as hard as they could for a roof over their heads. Life was bitter, but they had to go on. When they were nine, fate turned kindly towards them, and led a strange blue haired monk to help them…

  Blue haired monk? 

  Amiboshi's eyelids flickered and he opened his eyes, squinting slightly at the light. As his vision cleared, he saw a big, shorthaired guy gazing down kindly at him.

***

  "Feeling better now?" asked Mitsukake, another of the Suzaku Shichiseishi, who was bestowed upon by Suzaku the power of healing.

  With those words, everybody in the room gathered around the bed, all concerned over the teal haired lad who had somehow saved the priestess of Suzaku, Miaka, from another assassination attempt. That included Miaka herself, Nuriko the cross-dressing Hercules, Tasuki, the flame haired guy with fangs who wields a fire tessen, and, Chichiri himself.

  Miaka, who had been blaming herself all the while for causing mishap to the boy who fell unconscious for almost three hours now, was the first to speak.

  "How are you? Are you all right? I'm so, so sorry for dragging you into this…You see, there are some guys out there who would love to see me dead and have tried to kill me many times, and every time somebody will get hurt, and ……"

  Miaka babbled on, a clear sign that she was frustrated over the entire outcome and of her concern for her recent-most lifesaver. The other seishi looked both relieved and worried as well. 

  However, Chichiri sensed something familiar about the lad, but he just couldn't place it…

***

  Amiboshi smiled at the priestess and tried to calm her down. She seemed like a nice person. However if she had were to find out the real reason he was here, she would no longer have the same reaction as she has now. Should he do as Nakago ordered him, and foil the plans of the Suzaku seven? The question was a raging turmoil inside him, and he was torn between doing as he was told and his own conscience. His eyes drifted to where the monk was, dressed in his kasa, his bronze staff close by. The more he saw, the surer he was. There's no mistaking this one. He didn't change the slightest bit, down to the aura of peace that lingered around him.

   He was the saviour of Amiboshi and his twin.

***

· Rather short, isn't it? Gomen, but we've tried our best! School seems to be taking over… We have a nine-day break (terrible education system, isn't it? All our breaks are less than 2 weeks), but that wonderfully long holiday (obvious sarcasm) is already occupied by projects and of course, the upcoming final exam. (urgh…)

· Thanks for all the reviews! And we'll try to get longer chapters out, there should be time, even in a nine-day break. (faints from exhaustion)


	5. Revelations

**Revelations**

  The night was calm, now there were no longer any vampire bats lurking about among the trees. Leaves whispered to the wind, and flickers of fireflies sent specks of lights shimmering from the woods. The full moon illuminated everything in a pale silvery glow, upon the distant hills, the trees, pebbles along the path, and the little old shack that now served as their shelter. 

  Amiboshi sat silently in the veranda, thinking. The tranquility and delicateness of the night scene before him seemed, to him, to bring a touch of sadness. He had slept throughout the day, and at the times he wasn't asleep, he pretended to. The Suzaku seishi were kind to him, and never questioned him further about his identity and intent. They probably sensed that he didn't feel like talking just yet, which was rather true. His heart was in turmoil, torn between following Nakago's orders, and his own sense of right and wrong.

  And seeing Chichiri here seemed…well, he couldn't place it. He had always wanted to meet the ever-grinning monk again since he left him and Shun-chan under the care of their foster parents. But now, seeing him again…

  Ever since he and his twin had joined the Seiryuu seishi, all they had ever heard of their destined adversaries, the Suzaku seishi, were bad. He had learned that it was the Suzaku seishi who had instigated the imminent war between Konan and Kutou, that Kutou had to summon Seiryuu in defense of Konan's evil attentions. 

  But how could anyone like Chichiri ever be bad?

  He was told to foil the Suzaku seishi's plans of summoning their god by posing as one of their members, first gaining their trust, then to betray that trust and annihilate them. Nakago's ways had seemed cruel and inhuman, but he was assured that it was the only way to guarantee the peace between the two kingdoms. 

  Nakago must have been lying. All the wars Amiboshi had seen was Kutou's own doing, including the war that had so brutally seized his parents from him, making him and his brother endure the measly life of slaves. 

  He wanted all of this to stop. He didn't want to harm the Suzaku seishi. He might not know them well, but already they displayed the camaraderie and friendship the Seiryuu seishi lacked. He… longed for that sense of belonging he had missed after he and Shunkaku had left their foster parents for the imperial palace.

  Threats. All Nakago had ever offered them were threats. The Seiryuu seishi had to undergo a harsh life of hard discipline, all their actions being determined by the blonde shogun. He and Shunkaku had agreed to serve as Seiryuu's seishi only because Nakago had told them the peaceful life they were leading would be shattered by the trauma of war if they didn't follow his wishes.

  Sometimes, he just wasn't sure if they were following Nakago's orders because they chose to, or because they had already become slaves of the shogun's clever manipulations.  

  He couldn't do it. He couldn't bring himself to tell the Suzaku seishi he was Chiriko, and he certainly couldn't kill them. It might have been different if they were total strangers, but Chichiri was one of them. 

  Fate must have done this. It must have intervened to prevent an oncoming tragedy. 

  His mind made up, Amiboshi stood and walked silently to the room that Chichiri was currently occupying. He halted at the door. 

  A thousand memories began to flood up as his raised his hand to rap lightly at the semi-brittle timber.

  "Come in, no da."

  Amiboshi entered apprehensively. He still wasn't sure that what he was going to do was right. Chichiri's ever-smiling face greeted him, soothing away his fears. 

  Now all he had to do was to figure out a way to tell Chichiri the truth.

***

  Chichiri studied the fidgeting young boy in front of him who seemed to have all of a sudden discovered something extremely fascinating about the floor.

  "Is there anything you need, no da?" he inquired gently, 'poofing' a lamp out of thin air.

  The boy's head snapped up. "No…no… I just thought… none of you have asked who I am, or my name…"

  Chichiri smiled under his mask. He knew it would somehow come down to that.

  "You didn't seem to want to tell us, so we felt it wasn't our place to ask no da." Chichiri somehow managed to convey the fact that he was truly smiling, even under his mask, "Though we almost had to gag Tasuki to prevent him from pestering you."

  The boy blinked, obviously taken aback. Again, Chichiri had that strange sense of familiarity. 

  "It's getting rather inconvenient to think of you as "the boy", though, maybe you can just give me a name," "Something to call you by," he quickly added, just in case the boy thought he was prying.

  "Chichiri…" the boy began, his voice sounding strangely hollow. 

  "Ore wa… Koutoku."

***

  Chichiri could only stare. Koutoku… 

  How many years had it been since he had met the pair of young twins who had struggled so hard for survival, how much time had past since he had met those children who had taught him to leave his painful past behind?

  No wonder the boy had seemed familiar; Chichiri could never forget that familiar presence.

  But within those lavender eyes lay the internal turmoil Koutoku was facing, obviously, Koutoku was no longer the innocent child Chichiri had met six years ago.

  So many questions… What was Koutoku doing here amidst the Suzaku seishi? What had happened to the twins during his absence?

  "Koutoku…Why are you here? How are your foster parents getting on? Are they well? " He could no longer keep back the barrage of questions in his mind. 

  And lastly… the most important one… 

  "Koutoku, where is your brother?"

***

  Koutoku looked at the red eyed monk, who had now taken off his mask, revealing his scarred face, filled to the brim with concern and recognition, as if embracing a long lost family. Amiboshi felt as though he wanted to cry. Before long, tears he had fought back for so long trickled down his face. 

  He had to tell Chichiri. If there's one person in this world he could trust besides his twin, it's him. He wondered what his reaction would be? 

  There's only one way to find out.

***

  "Chichiri-san…" Amiboshi began tentatively, "…there's one thing you need to know…and I hope you can trust me. Only you can help me now…"

  Slowly, he rolled up his right sleeve, baring his arm. He kept his gaze on Chichiri, and willed his symbol to show.

  Little by little, the bluish hue of the character, "kou," shone from his arm. And then it gradually faded.

  Chichiri's mouth was agape as he took it all in. Koutoku, a member of the Seiryuu Shichiseishi? It was a little hard to swallow, but it made sense. How else was a normal person to use his chi so well if not for the gift of the gods?

  "Kou…high spirits. You must be Amiboshi. Aren't you, Koutoku?" Chichiri asked softly.

  Amiboshi nodded silently.

  "And Shunkaku? Is he alright? Does he know?"

  "Shun-chan bears the symbol of 'kaku' on his left arm…he's Suboshi. He's fine."

***

  Amiboshi awoke the next morning, feeling lighter than he had ever been since he, out of his not very right mind, joined the Seiryuu seishi few years back. He spent the night telling Chichiri the synopsis of his life story after Chichiri left them under the care of their foster parents; how Suboshi's powers revealed itself when he tried to rescue the family cat from drowning in the fast flowing river nearby; how Nakago began gathering the Seiryuu seishi and came around his village seeking the twins, explaining meticulously on how they were fated to get together, to protect Kutou from those Suzaku bastards; and how they, as naive boys of twelve, were taken in to the shogun's sweet talk, followed him with their foster parents' blessings, only to find that things weren't as clear a picture as Nakago first painted. 

  Amiboshi remembered how Chichiri had winced when he told him how they were treated under the command of Nakago, and the orders given to them, and later more specifically, he himself on his current one. Chichiri's face showed concern, sympathy, and understanding, not once judging or showed mistrust. Now Amiboshi knew his decision on leaving the Seiryuu seishi was a right and just one. And he resolved to get his twin brother out of the predicament they were in. Chichiri had agreed to help, but told him to stay under his old name for the moment until they found a suitable time to explain everything to the rest of the Suzaku warriors. 

  Chichiri had predicted that there would be a squabble when the news broke, but in just a matter of minutes, everybody would be willing to help. Amiboshi thought about the various powers the seishi had and hoped it wouldn't be messy. He would remember to get ready to run for safety especially if the purple haired girl and that fanged redhead with an iron fan got too excited over matters. 

***

" OHAYO !!!!!!"

  With a kick, a bang, and a wham, the door to Amiboshi's room was kicked open, hit the wall, and slammed right back into the kicker's nose. A closer examination at the two dimensional paper on the floor revealed Tasuki, who definitely did not look good. He popped back into his usual three dimensional self, nose flattened, face smashed, tessen in hand, standing on one foot, striking on a whole, a very ridiculous pose.

  "Damn you stupid piece of rotting wood!!" The fanged bandit cursed and sent his leg flying at the door. The door obviously didn't take kindly to his remarks, and gave back as hard as it could.

  "OWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!" and with that, everybody's favorite bandit hobbled away, muttering strings after strings of every curse available in the dialects of all four countries. Amiboshi stared at the limping figure, eyes wide, mouth open, with a huge sweatdrop dripping from his brow. 

  "Tasuki! What are you doing howling so early in the morning! I need my beauty sleep you know!!" came Nuriko's voice from another part of the shack. Her voice was as powerful as her strength. Amiboshi remembered that his first impression of her was 'What a sweet girl!' and decided that looks can be deceiving. Especially when it came to this group of people he'll be going along with. He'd better get used to them soon.

  Amiboshi walked out of his room and out to the veranda. He stopped short before going out, hearing murmurs. A little eavesdropping wouldn't hurt…

  Miaka was peeling off the petals of an unoffending flower. 

  "Tamahome loves me…"   
  "I've found another two seishi…"

  "Tamahome…" She peeled off yet another petal.

  " Hotohori...Nuriko… Chichiri…Tasuki… Mitsukake…" She then realized that she was out of petals.

  "One more seishi and I can fetch Tamahome! " she exclaimed gleefully. 

  "Chiriko… why can't you just appear? " With this said, Miaka went starry-eyed. 

  "Tamahome…"

  Amiboshi blinked. This girl was _really _obsessed.

  He continued walking about the house looking at what everyone was doing. Chichiri was running about with the cat in his chibi form, and Mitsukake was talking to some plants, which seemed rather commonplace at first glance. Amiboshi did a double take. Plants?

  His conclusion - this place is _weird_.

***

· (sweatdrops) Another short chapter… Better than nothing, isn't it? 

· _BloodyCrystal _: Finally, an attempt at humour, and of _my_ doing! _(admires her work)_. Not to mention it's totally focused on Amiboshi.

_    Snowdancer _ : AND Chichiri.

_    BloodyCrystal_ : _(blinks at the screen)_ Where? _(notices the look on Snowdancer's face) _Fine, perhaps a little of Chichiri.

_    Snowdancer _: What!? (dons punching gloves)

·   Is it just us, or are the reviews actually dwindling in number? And we're actually giving up precious study time for this. It's our finals, you know. We _live_ on reviews. So… please? 

**Oops, we forgot that Tamahome wasn't supposed to be there. As for Chichiri, yep, we changed his part, as Chichiri-sama deserves to be at the place of action. Anyway, we've corrected the teeny-weeny error and took Tamahome out of the fic. 

_    Snowdancer _ : How embarrassing… two writers and we didn't notice a mistake like that.

_    BloodyCrystal_ : Comes out of writing at midnight… and posting at 2 in the morning.

_    Snowdancer_ : _(glares) _So? I was in a hurry. It was _your_ mistake, anyway.

_    BloodyCrystal_ : I was thinking that a certain someone would read over the entire chapter before posting.

_    Snowdancer_ : I was tired!

    _BloodyCrystal_ : Really? Wouldn't the same apply in _my _case?

    _Snowdancer_    : …


	6. Between Two Places

**Between Two Places**

  A week had passed since Amiboshi joined the Suzaku gang. Within that period of seven days, he had learned many things; many interesting things about his new companions.

  The first and most important thing he learnt was that Nuriko was no lady, but a cross-dresser. He had to give him credit though, for being more womanly than the Suzaku no Miko. He found it very confusing and weird, but then he remembered Tomo, the opera-painted, cackling, gay illusionist from the Seiryuu Shichiseishi, and decided that cross-dressing was an easier idea to accept. The gods must have decided to put in a mixed selection of people among all the seishi to make things less boring for them, he thought. 

  The next thing he learnt was about the fanged bandit. Tasuki loved water just about as much as a cat would. However, Amiboshi mused, he would happily drown himself in a sea of sake, if there was one. 

  And if anything, he did not want to hear Mitsukake sing, unless they happened to be out in the open. Then again, maybe Mount Taikyoku would collapse if he did. 

  Lastly, and most intriguing, was the study of Suzaku no Miko herself. She was just about the most fantastically crazy person he'd ever met. Her obsession with Tamahome was record worthy, and even more so her appetite. And she seemed to have a need to read some weird things out loud in the middle of the night, saying it was for the sake of exams in her world. Must be, for Amiboshi had never heard of any Japanese Revolution or whatever those are in his entire life. She was so bubbly and energetic, ready to lift anyone's spirits.  All in all, he was glad he joined them. Among these people, he found a sense of kinship and friendship he never knew among the Seiryuu seishi. Already his heart felt lighter, though he still worried deeply for his twin. He vowed that he would get Shunkaku out of it. Chichiri had agreed to help, and he had total confidence in the blue haired monk.

  A day ago, Chichiri made a connection with Hotohori in the palace, and they received surprising, but good news. The last of the Suzaku seishi, Chiriko, had found his way to the palace, and they needn't search for him any more. Miaka was ecstatic, and everyone shared her joy. They'll be going back to the palace soon.

  "Koutoku!! Want to join me fishing?" Chichiri shouted from not far off. 

  The flute-player smiled. 

  "Hai! Coming!!"

  He picked up his flute and walked to where his old friend stood waiting, unaware of two pairs of eyes following his every move from the forests, and then silently disappearing into the lush forest growth…

***

  "Koutoku, maybe it's time you told them who you are." 

  Amiboshi stared at the still surface of the translucent pond, his thoughts in a confused jumble. Chichiri was right, of course. He couldn't hide the truth for long. But he wasn't looking forward to the upcoming confrontation.

  "How am I supposed to tell them, Chichiri-san?" 

  "Maybe being forward would be the best course," Chichiri mused thoughtfully, "Miaka, Tasuki, and Nuriko will probably understand your situation no da. 

  Amiboshi sighed. "I might as well get it over with now."

***

  "WHAT!!!!???" Tasuki shrieked. "You freaking son of a bitch, WHO did you just say you were?!!" 

  Amiboshi squirmed. This wasn't going very well. "Seiryuu Shichiseishi Amiboshi… uh…" he muttered inaudibly. Chichiri placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

  "I'm Seiryuu Shichiseishi Amiboshi." There, much better. 

  Tasuki and Nuriko's faces had just turned the colour of their hair. Miaka's mouth hung open in disbelief. Amiboshi shuffled his feet uneasily. The once peaceful clearing seemed to be in danger of being blasted into oblivion. 

  Tasuki pointed an accusing finger at Chichiri. "You fuckin KNEW! How can you hide something like that from us!?" 

  Chichiri spread his hands in a placating gesture. "Tasuki-kun, I just felt that it wasn't time to let you know. It's…"

  "THAT BASTARD COULD HAVE KILLED US A DOZEN TIMES ALREADY!!" Tasuki yelled.

  "Why are you here? Spit it out, Seiryuu scum, or I'll fry your ass till you'll wish that your father never stole that first kiss from your mother!" Tasuki held out his tessen menacingly.

  _Oh no. How am I supposed to tell them?_ Only the feel of Chichiri's hand on his shoulder kept him from grabbing his flute and planting a ten-foot barrier around himself. The look on Tasuki's face meant business. 

  "I…uh…was…"

  "STOP FOOLING AND TELL US ALREADY! I BET YOU WERE HERE FOR OUR HEADS!" 

  "Tasuki! Calm down already and let the kid talk!" Nuriko cracked his knuckles for extra emphasis. Tasuki quieted down a little. Very little. It seemed that even the threat of Nuriko's wrath wasn't enough to restrain him today.

  "I was…sent to…foil your attempt at summoning Suzaku…"

   Tasuki's eyes bulged dangerously.

  "and assassinate Suzaku no miko and her seishi."

  "THAT DOES IT! YOU ARE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!" Amiboshi barely managed to dodge in time as a lance of fire shot over his head. 

  "Tasuki! How could you! Stop!" Miaka yelled. 

  "TASUKI! You baka! Obviously he's not going to do it, or he wouldn't have told us his true identity!" Nuriko smashed the fiery bandit into the nearest wall, then turned his attention on Amiboshi.

  "So…Kou…I mean Amiboshi, you were sent by Nakago." It wasn't a question, but Amiboshi nodded anyway.

  "I…I just want to stop the war between Konan and Kutou…Nakago-sama said that Suzaku no miko must not summon Suzaku…I didn't know…I really didn't…"

  Amiboshi's voice broke. He dropped his gaze to the floor. "Gomen nasai."

  Nuriko smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, we understand. You were being deceived, that's all." 

  Miaka nodded enthusiastically. "Hai! You're such a nice person, Kou…Amiboshi. I knew you wouldn't hurt us!" 

  "What did you mean by we? YOU understand, I don't! THAT FREAKING KID WAS GOING TO BUTCHER US!" Another punch sent Tasuki flying. 

  Nuriko spared Tasuki a casual glance. "Don't worry. Tasuki has always been denser than an ordinary person. He'll get over it soon enough."

  He grinned. "I agree with Chichiri. You don't have any evil intentions." 

  "Well, welcome to the party, Amiboshi-kun." 

  Amiboshi could only blink in surprise as Nuriko drew him into a tight hug. He couldn't help being touched by the level of trust Nuriko displayed. 

  _Oww…it hurts._ "Nuriko-san?"

  "Hai?"

  "Would you mind if you loosen your grip a little? I…I can't breathe."

  "Oh. Sorry." 

***

  Nakago eyed the black-cloaked spies kneeling before him, his expression unreadable. A faint look of disgust flashed across those blue frosty eyes as he noticed his underlings cowering. That was to be expected, however. They did not bring good tidings.  

  _Cowards. _Nakago wasn't sure if his current anger was directed at his minions or someone else, though he highly suspected the latter.

  All his plans…ruined by one foolish boy.   
  That flash of irritation was gone almost as fast as it had came. Already Nakago's mind was weaving an even more intricate and convoluted weave of deception. 

  "You are dismissed."

  He _would_ have his revenge. This turn of events was certainly unexpected, but his plans can be easily modified.

***

  "Suboshi."

  Suboshi turned to face the shogun walking towards him. As usual, Nakago's features and voice were void of any feelings or expression. Was it his imagination, or were the blonde shogun's eyes even colder and merciless than before?  Aniki didn't trust him, and Suboshi agreed whole-heartedly with his brother's sentiments. 

_  Be careful of Nakago, Shun. Try to avoid him if you can._

  He didn't need Koutoku to tell him that. But there were just times like this when Nakago would decide to come searching for him. Till now, Suboshi still hadn't managed to figure out a way to hide from someone who seemingly has eyes posted at every corridor of the palace. 

  "I think there is something you would like to know," Nakago told him. 

  Suboshi seriously doubted that. Judging by the look on Nakago's face, the young Seiryuu seishi wanted nothing better than to be twenty leagues away from the shogun, though that was certainly nothing new. 

  He hated Nakago. It was all Nakago's fault that Aniki had to leave him in the first place. Aniki had told him it was necessary that he went, and it was better to get all of this over with as fast as possible. Once they've summoned Seiryuu, they can see okaasan and otousan again.

  His parents… he missed them so much. But not as much as he missed his brother. In his opinion, this entire affair was already taking too long.

  He could feel Nakago's eyes regarding him coldly, dissecting his every move. Why did he have to feel as though Nakago knew what he was thinking at this very moment?

  Nakago's confident smirk certainly didn't help in putting Suboshi at ease. 

  Suboshi gritted his teeth. _You're being paranoid. Get a grip on yourself._

  "The Suzaku seishi have located Chiriko."

  Suboshi blinked. Why was Nakago telling him this? Wasn't Aniki sent to pose as Chiriko in the first place? 

  _Wait a minute… _

_  How long since his brother had been sent to Konan? It seemed like such a long time ago…and Suboshi knew that didn't come from just missing his brother, Koutoku __had been gone for a long time. _

  Koutoku had told him not to send him any messages via their physical bond. He was afraid that the Suzaku seishi might discover their from of communication, thus blowing his cover. Suboshi understood. He would never do anything that might remotely endanger his brother. Besides, he could sense his brother's soothing presence, and that in itself offered him comfort, something to ease his loneliness.  

  _The Suzaku seishi have located Chiriko. But… could Nakago actually mean… that they have located the __true Chiriko?_

  Either he was displaying his every thought on his face, or Nakago had a psychic gift among his seishi powers. 

  "The Suzaku seishi Chiriko is a boy of thirteen, his gift appears to be intelligence. He presented himself at the Konan royal palace yesterday." Whatever Nakago saw in Suboshi's reaction, it obviously satisfied him.

  "Demo… Aniki…"

  "Amiboshi did not masquerade as Chiriko. He is known to the Suzaku seishi as Koutoku…" Nakago paused. 

  Suboshi hung on to the shogun's every word fearfully, hoping against hope that his brother would be alright. 

  "…and Seiryuu seishi Amiboshi."  

  Suboshi stared at the leader of the Seiryuu seishi in horror. But deep down, he was absolutely confused. The Suzaku seishi hadn't harmed his brother. He knew that. He would have felt something if they had. Why hadn't they killed Amiboshi when they discovered who he was?

  "Your brother has evidently decided to betray his country for the Suzaku seishi. The Suzaku seishi must have found his seishi powers extremely useful." 

  Nakago started advancing. Suboshi stared up at those cold blue voids, as impassive and detached as ever.

  "However, he has much stronger ties here." 

  Suboshi gasped as he felt a sharp kick in his belly. He tried to struggle as Nakago's hand gripped his hair painfully, calling onto Seiryuu's powers to do something, anything, however weak he might be compared to Nakago…only to find a shield between him and Seiryuu seikun's power. 

  _I'm dead… oh no…_

  "As everyone knows, blood_ is thicker than water." Nakago's words had a sound of smug satisfaction within them as Suboshi found his vision gradually fading into darkness._

***

  It was dark, dank, and extremely cold. Suboshi blinked, trying to get his hazy vision to focus. 

  _Great, that jerk's finally decided to dump me in the dungeons._

  His wrists were really sore. He looked down to see his hands in shackles. Sighing, he tried to lean back against the grimy wall, trying to position himself so that the manacles wouldn't chafe his flesh. 

  He gingerly tested the psychic shield barring him from using his seishi powers… and immediately pulled back. No need to let Nakago know that he was already conscious by bashing against Nakago's barrier. Besides, he needed his ryuuseisui to actively channel his telekinetic powers, and Nakago had already thoughtfully removed his weapon.

  "_This just had to be my lucky day." Suboshi thought sarcastically. _

***

  The gentle melody halted in mid-air. Amiboshi lowered his flute, trying to shake off the feelings that washed over him. He felt cold, hungry, and lonely. The sensations were faint, as if they weren't his own. 

  "Koutoku? Is there something wrong?" Chichiri inquired concernedly. 

  Amiboshi shook his head, still trying to shake off the feelings that were now growing more intense by the second.

  _Aniki…please… _

  Amiboshi's eyes widened in shock.

  _Shun, is that you? Was it just his imagination, or had his brother somehow managed to send him a psychic message?_

  There wasn't any answer from Shunkaku's end. 

  _Shun? Shun? He must be imagining things. But the feelings he had, they could not have been his own, and they were too realistic for him to brush it off as his imagination. Those must have come from his twin. _

  "Koutoku?" Chichiri was starting to sound rather worried now. 

  "Chichiri-san…" Amiboshi began, but abruptly cut off when his visualization was clouded over by a red haze of pain.

  The agony… it won't stop… his whole body felt as if it were on fire… 

  _Shun? What's happening to you? Shun!_

  The torture did not end until Amiboshi collapsed into Chichiri's arms, finally rendered unconscious. 

***

  Suboshi had finally settled on resting his head between his knees. He tugged at the chains irritably. _Stupid things. They really chafe._

  "I hope you're doing well, Suboshi."   
  _Oh Seiryuu, please let it not be him, I'm hallucinating. Yeah, that must be it. I'm so cold and hungry that I'm beginning to hear things._

  A hand jerked his head up roughly. Cold blue eyes stared into Suboshi's face. 

  Suboshi tried to pry himself out of that firm grip, all the while glaring at Nakago, but ending up earning more assault on his hair instead. He knew he was being foolish, but he couldn't let the shogun think that he was going to listen to his orders like some lost puppy after being locked up in some musty old cell for a few days. 

  Locked up with no food, barely any water, and having to endure this freaking cold temperature. Suboshi was actually beginning to wonder if he had any frost in his hair. 

  Suboshi gasped as Nakago delivered a punch to his mid-section, which was still sore from the kick that Nakago had given him last time. 

  "Obedience is truly a lesson you must learn, Suboshi," Nakago's lips curved into a cruel smirk. "I would be more than willing to give you a few tutorials."

  Suboshi's eyes widened as he watched Nakago bring out his whip and calmly stripped Suboshi down to his waist. 

  It was all he could do to bite back his scream of pain as the first lash connected with his bare skin.

  _Aniki…please…_

***

  Some time later, he couldn't bring himself to care anymore. He hadn't even made an effort to hold back the screams of pain. 

  Footsteps resounded down the corridors of the dungeons. Nakago stopped in mid-lash and turned around. 

  "Yui-sama, it would be better if you didn't interfere in this." 

  Somebody answered Nakago. It was a girl, judging from the pitch of her voice. Suboshi's head hung limply, their conversations flitting at the edge of his consciousness. 

  Suddenly Nakago released him from the chains around his arms, letting Suboshi fall onto the hard ground. His whole body trembling violently, Suboshi tried desperately to lift himself from the cold hard surface. 

  "Suboshi, I would like you to meet Yui-sama, the Seiryuu no miko." 

  A girl appeared. Suboshi blinked, trying to get himself to focus. The world kept spinning around him. Vaguely, he managed to make out the outlines of her features.

  She was of his age, with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a ridiculously revealing skirt of unfamiliar cut, probably clothing from her own world. 

  Seiryuu no miko, the girl that he and Aniki had been waiting for all along. The girl who would finally put an end to all this senseless fighting. The girl he was supposed to protect as a Seiryuu seishi.

  She wasn't what he had expected at all. The Seiryuu no miko in his dreams was warm and bright, forever happy and joyful, spreading warmth to all those around her. But this girl…her eyes were so cold. Cold and unfeeling, made of blue ice. 

  "You're forgetting your manners, Suboshi." A kick sent him back to his knees again. "Address your miko."

  Tears of pain started to cloud his vision. "Yui…sa…ma…" 

  The girl regarded him coldly, her expression unchanging.

***

  He was being chained to the wall again. 

  _No…please…I can't take anymore of this._

_  As the whip started to lash his blood-streaked back mercilessly, Suboshi mustered all of his strength to look at the girl before him, still watching the scene impassively with her arms folded. Blue eyes met indigo for an instant. Wordlessly, Suboshi pleaded to her, trying to get her to help him. _

  Was it his imagination, or did those cold eyes soften for an instant?

  His hopes, however, were cruelly dashed as she broke the gaze, looking away from him. 

  _Doushite? Doushite?! She's Seiryuu no miko! Isn't she the one who's supposed to help me? She was supposed to bring us happiness! How could she stand aside like this! Why!?_

_  Tears started rolling down his cheeks as Nakago's lashes increased in intensity. __Doushite?_

***

  _His eyes silently pleaded me to help him, to end his suffering. Those large indigo eyes shone with unshed tears, their misted depths covered by pain and agony._

  _He was only a child. And one of my seishi. Yet now he looked so vulnerable…he was begging me to save him.  _

_  His name…Suboshi. Suboshi…I can't. Please forgive me…I can't._

_  Even as Yui cruelly turned her face away, she could imagine the look of despair and accusation on his face._

  She forced herself to look at him. He didn't have any strength left to scream, merely hanging there limply, his body jerking with each lash of Nakago's cruel punishment.

  _What did he do to deserve this? She did not know. _

  The wounds on his body were similar to that of Tamahome's. Only Suboshi's were twice as bad.

  _Tamahome…I couldn't help him back then, and now I can't help Suboshi either._

  Yui wasn't ignorant. She knew that Nakago deferred to her and seemingly obeyed her. But he would not refrain from doing as he wished behind her back. Even if she told him to stop whipping Suboshi now, he might very well whip the boy after he made sure of her absence. And the whipping the second time around would be even more painful than the first. He knew that she would never agree to whipping Tamahome, but he went ahead and did it anyway. 

  _He was only a child. Even now, Yui couldn't banish the image of those lavender eyes, imploring her to do something to help him. _

  Yui shook herself. Why was she feeling so guilty? She was doing it only for the boy's own good! She needn't even care. Nakago must have very good reasons for punishing the boy in this way. 

  She glanced at his face. His cheeks were wet. Suboshi was crying…

  _Suboshi…I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…_

***

  _Seiryuu must have finally heard my wishes. After the seemingly infinite torture session, Suboshi finally felt himself drifting off to an unconscious bliss. _

  She was watching him. 

  Her eyes were filled with…pity. Pity? Why now? If she pitied him, why didn't she do anything earlier? 

  _Seiryuu no miko…Yui-sama… _

  Suboshi gratefully allowed the darkness to take over. 

***

  When Amiboshi woke up, he found himself on a soft warm bed, in a large, well furnished room. His whole body hurt as if he was lying amongst millions of needles. He grimaced as he held up his left arm, and gave a gasp of shock. It was covered with criss-cross slash wounds, still fresh, but there was no blood. He checked his whole anatomy, disregarding the pain, and found that he was covered from top to toe in similar wounds. 

  "Koutoku, what happened?" He heard Chichiri say from the foot of the bed. His mask was off, and was very worried.

  "You were playing your flute when we were making our way back to the palace, and then you collapsed. Moments later, these wounds just appeared on your body. Mitsukake tried healing you, but his powers had no effect. I teleported all of us back to the palace immediately. These wounds aren't ordinary, Koutoku…what happened?" Chichiri continued.

  Amiboshi quickly recollected his memories, and then his eyes widened as realization dawned upon him.

  _Shun-chan…He's being tortured by the shogun. Gods, no…_

_  "Koutoku! Are you okay? What's wrong?" Chichiri probed again._

  Amiboshi stifled a sob.

  "These wounds are Shunkaku's. Nakago has been torturing him…He…he must have found out that I've betrayed him…" Hot tears flowed freely down Amiboshi's face, as he was overcome with grief for his brother. 

  "…I thought as much, since it was impossible for Mitsukake being unable to heal any physical wounds…unless the wounds weren't made on that person himself..." Chichiri reasoned, as he placed a comforting arm on Amiboshi's quivering shoulder. Then he looked at Amiboshi straight in the eye. 

  "Listen, Koutoku. I've already told the rest of the Suzaku seishi about what's going on right now. They've agreed to help. We will save your brother. Rest, for the moment, and then we can sort out strategies later." 

  Amiboshi looked up gratefully, tears glimmering in his eyes. 

  "Shunkaku's a strong person. He'll make it. Everything will be all right…Now, rest. I'll send you some dinner afterwards." With those comforting last words, Chichiri left the room.

  _Hang in there, Shun… Just bear with it a little while longer…We will get you out…__Trust me, Shun._

_  Everything will be all right. _

  Amiboshi prayed that his message reached Suboshi, and soon drifted into a restless slumber.

***

· _Snowdancer   : Tum tum tum…Suboshi torture! Oooo… I had so much fun writing this one._

  _BloodyCrystal : __(stares at the over-excited Snowdancer) No wonder she actually likes Nakago, and to think that I sat behind her at school. She could have murdered me!_

_  Snowdancer    : Oh come on… who doesn't like it when their favourite character gets tortured? It's just so…exotic._

  _BloodyCrystal : Exotic? Is it just me, or are you really sadistic?_

  _Snowdancer    : __(shrugs) Couldn't find a better to describe it. Oh dear… Subo-chan's hurt badly. I must go bandage his wounds. __(needless to say, Snowdancer is delighted at the idea of hugging a topless Suboshi)_

  _BloodyCrystal : __(vein starts to pop out of forehead) I just KNOW that you are thinking hentai thoughts! For the last and FINAL time, don't make your advances on the twins! They're MINE! Why can't you ever be satisfied with Chichiri?_

  _Snowdancer    : Many reasons. Firstly, it's totally unfair for you to have two cute guys while I only have one. I'm kind of entitled to sharing, you know. Second, the twins have more screen time in this chapter, especially Suboshi. Third, I like Suboshi a LOT, he's behind Chichiri by that tiny little inch. Fourth…_

_  BloodyCrystal : I get the picture. But since I put first claims on the twins, shouldn't I do the bandaging?_

  _Snowdancer    : I'm the one who tortured him, naturally I'm the one who does the bandaging._

  _BloodyCrystal : Since you've already had your fun, why don't you let me have mine? _

  _Snowdancer   :  Fine…we'll share._

  _BloodyCrystal :  Shouldn't I be the one to say that? The twins were BOTH mine in the first place, you act as if you're doing me a favour! __(decides to be nice for once and head off any future arguments) Great, we'll share for THIS time._

  _Snowdancer   : Did you notice that we've actually finished this chapter in a day? Counting by the hour, it was probably only half a day. A record for slowpokes like us. _

  _BloodyCrystal : You probably had too much fun torturing Suboshi. Subo-chan, that girl there was the one behind all this. Avoid her in the future, ne?_

  _Snowdancer    : __(looks around frantically for any signs of Suboshi) You liar! He wasn't here!_

_  BloodyCrystal : __(smirks in triumph) Serves you right. Ha._

· We would like to thank our beta-reader Valerie for actually putting all those effort into nit-picking every chapter. (If you bother to reread the past chapters, you'll notice that they're much more presentable) Arigato Valerie-san!

· Oooh, we have more reviews for the past chapter than the previous ones. People are actually reading this fic! We're so touched. ^-^ 


	7. Pitfalls

**Pitfalls**

  Amiboshi sat quietly in the corner as Chichiri and the rest of the Suzaku seishi discussed all the expedient ways to retrieve Tamahome from Kutou, and on doing so rescue Suboshi as well. Chichiri had evidently cast a spell that enabled Miaka to communicate with Tamahome, and the two had already agreed on a suitable meeting place. The problem was on how to enter the palace grounds without Nakago finding out. 

  "Amiboshi? Amiboshi?" 

  Amiboshi snapped out of his reveries, blushing furiously. How could he have been so rude? "Gomen, minna-san, I was…"

  "Ah…you were probably just worrying about your brother," Tasuki commented gruffly. The redhead had finally gotten over his initial outburst, and accepted Amiboshi into the circle.

  "Don't worry, Amiboshi, we'll get him out." Miaka said reassuringly.

  Amiboshi couldn't help feeling guilty. He was a Seiryuu seishi sent to annihilate them and destroy all hopes of them ever summoning Suzaku, and here they were doing their best to help him. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

  "I'm really grateful…after what I've done, I don't deserve your help…"

  "Aww…cut the crap. What did you do anyway?" Tasuki, with his unique and exquisite grace demanded.

  "Tasuki's right. You didn't do anything! You already saved us by confessing who you were. Besides, you did save me from the bats, didn't you?" Miaka smiled in earnest.

  Amiboshi was stung by a sharp twinge of guilt. She trusted him so much that she still hadn't made the connection between him and the bats.

  "I…I was the one that set the bats on you."

  An ominous silence hung over the hall at his confession.  

  Amiboshi hung his head in shame. "I…had to do it to gain your trust. I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

  To everyone's surprise, it was Tasuki who recovered first, which was most unfortunate, taking into account Tasuki's wonderful usage of the language.

  "Jeez…fine. You sent the fuckin bats and got rid of them. Now can we just get on with the topic before someone confesses that he's murdered an innocent in his sleep or…" He didn't get to finish his sentence before Nuriko smashed him into the table.

  Hotohori winced. "Er…Nuriko?"

  Nuriko looked at his idol with sparkling eyes. "Hai? Hotohori-sama?"

  "I would really appreciate it if you could be…um…more delicate in the future." Seeing the hurt look on Nuriko's face, he went on hurriedly. "With the upcoming war between Konan and Kutou, we are trying to increase the military funds, and I'm sure that Nuriko, with all his consideration and selflessness, would like to aid the country in saving on repairs."

  The look of joy on Nuriko's face was radiant. "Definitely, Heika-sama!" 

  Hotohori bestowed Nuriko with one of his gorgeous smiles before turning his attention on Amiboshi.

  "Amiboshi, do you know where your brother is imprisoned? We would like avoid any encounters with the palace guards if we can." 

  Amiboshi frowned, considering the issue, "I don't know, but I can track otouto's chi easily. There shouldn't be a problem in finding him."

  Hotohori nodded, "So we still return to the problem of entering the Kutou palace without getting noticed."

  Tasuki snorted, "What's the problem? All we have to do is walk in, grab Tama and Suboshi, then walk out again. We'll fry anybody who blocks our way." He smiled in glee, "Especially that blonde dumbass Nakago, I'll…" he was interrupted by Nuriko's firm grip around his throat. Nuriko then dumped him on the floor, this time taking care not to damage anything. 

  "Tasuki-san," Nuriko commented sweetly, "Perhaps you had better leave the thinking to those better equipped for it." His only answer was a painful grunt from the floor.

  Chiriko, the latest and last arrival to the Suzaku seishi piped up, "I've heard that Nakago of the Seiryuu seishi has an extremely strong chi sense and has already excelled in the control of his gifts. He is bound to sense us entering the palace." Chiriko paused thoughtfully, "So in truth, we do not run as great a risk of encountering the palace guards as being discovered by Kutou's shogun." 

  Amiboshi nodded. Chiriko's power of wisdom was most incongruous when taken into account with his young age. Looking even younger than his thirteen years, the youngest Suzaku seishi even displayed an air of child-like innocence. Miaka, particularly, had almost fainted in shock when Hotohori informed them that Chiriko had obtained the highest results in the Imperial Examinations.  

  "I can partially conceal our chi, it'll make it easier to get in without sensed by Nakago no da, " Chichiri suggested.

  Hotohori considered the suggestion. "It'll still be extremely difficult. Nakago is probably expecting us to fetch Tamahome and Amiboshi to save his brother. Are you sure you can keep him from tracking us?" 

  "No, no da." Chichiri admitted, "I can teleport us into the palace grounds, no da. But from there…"

  "Hmm… that'll solve the problem of entering, but it seem there's no way to guarantee that we won't be sensed by Nakago," Hotohori mused.

  Hotohori sighed. "Much as I dislike it, we have to take the risk. We're running out of time."

  Chichiri nodded, "Hai, Heika-sama. But I can only take two or three people along with me, any more would definitely expose us to Nakago's senses."

  Chichiri turned toward Amiboshi, "Koutoku-kun, of course… "

  "And me," Tasuki volunteered immediately.

  "I must go!" That was from Miaka.

  "Miaka…" Hotohori began gently, "It's rather dangerous, and I wouldn't like to put your life at risk…"

  Miaka's eyes had steeled in resolve, "I will not break my promise to Tamahome."

  Hotohori sighed. He knew that look. There was just no arguing with her when she's in this particular phase. "It's settled then."

***

  Suboshi woke from his painful and torturous slumber at the sound of his prison cell being unlocked. Nakago strode in, coolly eyeing the pitiful mess that Suboshi had become. 

  "I'm glad I'm saved the inconvenience of waking you," Nakago said coldly. 

  Suboshi couldn't answer. Right now, he just wanted anything, anything that can make the pain stop. He was thankful that he had regained consciousness when Nakago came in. He doubted Nakago's methods of reviving a person would be very pleasant. 

  Nakago smirked. "You have no one but your brother to blame for the present condition that you're in. After all, he is the traitor that betrayed his country for another." A look of disgust crossed his hard features. "Amiboshi was weak. It seems that he doesn't have a care that his own brother now lies in a pathetic state."

  Suboshi felt anger welling within him. How dare that bastard talk about his Aniki like that? " Don't…insult…my…brother. Aniki…is…not…" he rasped.

  Nakago arched an eyebrow in amusement. "Not a weakling? Then I really can't find any other explanation for the actions of betraying your god, your country, and your brother for an enemy. Can you, Suboshi?"

  Suboshi wanted to defend his Aniki, but he just didn't have the strength for it. He finally let his head fall in defeat.

  "Right now, I would like to send your brother a message. We need to discuss…let's say…certain terms that need to be followed." The grim satisfaction on Nakago's features made Suboshi's blood run cold. 

***

  Amiboshi winced as a sharp tingle shot up his arm.

  "What is it, Koutoku?" Chichiri asked in concern.

  "Otouto, he's sent me a message." Amiboshi tugged up the sleeve of the shirt hurriedly. 

  His heart fell as he read the contents of the message.   
  "What did Shunkaku say?" Chichiri pressed.

  Amiboshi gulped, "It's not from Shun. It's from…"

  He paused to steady his voice, "Nakago."

  Silently, he held up his arm for Chichiri to read.

  _What that has happened was only a mild sample of what will happen to your brother in the future if you do not follow my wishes. Treat it as a warning if you will. If you do not return, your brother will bear the consequences of your actions. I hope you appreciate the effort I've dedicated into inventing more creative and fascinating forms of entertainment for your brother. Use your time wisely, for every minute in which you go against my orders entitles an extra minute of torture for your twin._

Everybody, it appeared, had been looking over Chichiri and Amiboshi's shoulders. Everyone wore a similar mask of horror.

  "How could he? That's inhuman…" Miaka exclaimed, already close to tears. 

"THAT ASSHOLE! I'LL FRY THE GUTS OUT OF HIM!" Tasuki yelled furiously.

  Chichiri's mask creased in anxiety, "Koutoku, are you alright?"

  Amiboshi noticed the looks of sympathy and worry that everyone was giving him. He would not cry now. How could he possibly tell them that he was already panic and grief-stricken, and all he wanted to do right now was to be at his twin's side? He forced a brave smile.

  "I'm fine, please don't worry, minna-san." 

  From the look of their faces, nobody really believed him. 

  Tasuki clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll get your brother out if we have to demolish the entire Kutou palace…" A thump on the head sent him sprawling on the floor.

  Amiboshi was already lost in his own world, his mind afire with dread and worry.

  _Shun…please be strong…I'll be there… _

***

  "OWW!!! Uh…uh…" was all Tasuki managed to get out as everyone clapped their hands over his mouth in horror. 

  "Tasuki-kun, please be quiet no da," Chichiri told him in hushed tones. "We are already inside the Kutou palace grounds no da."

  Tasuki nodded before everyone withdrew their hands in relief. 

  Amiboshi was getting extremely restless. At such a close distance, he could already pinpoint Shunkaku's location, and he wanted to head over to his brother right now.

  Chichiri hurriedly sketched out their plans, "I will go with Koutoku to rescue Shunkaku. Tasuki, stay here and protect Miaka while she's waiting for Tamahome." 

  "Sure, you can count on me!" Tasuki said, grinning widely.

  "Tasuki, be quiet no da! Koutoku, we'd better get going. Time is running short."

***

  Amiboshi led the way with Chichiri following, both of them trying to avoid all the sentries on post. It was becoming increasingly difficult as they penetrated deeper into the palace grounds. Amiboshi was getting extremely impatient, almost to the point of running headlong into a guard or two before Chichiri managed to grab him back into hiding. 

  He can't help it. Shunkaku needs him. He could sense his twin's chi flickering erratically, and he could feel Shunkaku's pain and suffering. Without knowing how he knew, he could tell that his twin still had the utmost trust in him; that Shunkaku still firmly held on to the belief that his Aniki would save him from the torment and agony that he was going through. 

  _Shun…have faith in me…I'll never leave you…_

***

  _Shun…have faith in me…_

Suboshi's eyes flew open in shock. 

  _Aniki? Aniki? Is that you?_

  Already the pain was starting to overcome his body. He could feel the torture even in his dreams, being awake seemed to multiply the agony ten-fold.

  _Aniki…_Suboshi allowed that gray bleakness to surround him once again.

***

  "REKKA SHINEN!" Miaka and Tasuki stared in equal horror as Tasuki held out his fan…to see it release a miserable puff of smoke. 

  Nakago smirked. "Fool, none of your powers would work within this barrier."

  He held out his palm as a blue glow began to suffuse him. "Now, which of you would like to go first?"

  "Wait, Nakago."

  Miaka looked towards her best friend in relief and joy. Yui-chan wouldn't hurt her after all…

  "What is the fun in simply killing them? Perhaps it is more…proper if we entertained our guests first." 

  Yui's words cut into Miaka's heart painfully. _Yui-chan…her voice seemed so cold. Doesn't she care for me anymore? Yui-chan…_

  Miaka made up her mind right then and there. She _had_ to do something. 

  Flinging herself at one of the guards desperately, she told Tasuki to make a run for it.

  "Baka! I can't leave you here!"

  "Tasuki, you have to! Please, Tasuki, don't let me down!" Miaka prayed that Tasuki would get the meaning. If only she were captured, he might still be able to rescue her afterwards. _Please, Tasuki, one is better than two._

A flash of understanding crossed Tasuki's eyes. "Bastard," he spat at Nakago, "I'll never forgive you if you lay even one finger on her!"

  Tasuki vanished into the darkness, leaving Miaka behind.

***

  Chichiri frowned as he followed Amiboshi down the palace corridors. Their journey through the Kutou palace had been providentially uneventful. Through their entire flight, Chichiri had been constantly worrying that Nakago would detect their presence. He had no illusions of the shogun's power. During their brief encounter before, Chichiri already knew that Nakago far surpassed him in skill and raw strength. Even with his efforts at shielding their presence, Nakago should have been able to detect the arrival of Suzaku no miko and two of her seishi. The addition of one Seiryuu seishi only served to complicate matters. To make matters worse, Nakago already expected them. 

  _I feel uneasy about this. Things were just too convenient. I wonder how Tasuki and Miaka are doing. Have they met with Tamahome already?_

  Amiboshi's voice jolted him from his worries.

  Amiboshi turned to face Chichiri, his eyes bright with anxiety and anticipation.

  "Chichiri-san, we're finally here."

  Chichiri looked down to see rough stone steps leading to the dungeons below. __

_  At last…_ Nevertheless, he still couldn't shake off the feeling of unease and dread.

***

  Miaka found herself staring through the bars of the dungeon. 

  "Tamahome! Tamahome!!!"

  "Shut up!" the guard yelled back.

  _I must find a way to get out._

  "Sir? Sir? Please, kind sir." Miaka's voice took on a seductive temptress' tone.

  The guard's head poked in, and widen noticeably. 

  Miaka had hiked up her short skirt, revealing the full length of her legs. The top of her blouse was unbuttoned, exposing her shoulder and just enough of her cleavage.

  "Kind sir, my leg hurts. Could you rub it for me, please? " Miaka shifted her body, giving the guard a full view from every angle.

  "Me…me?" the guard spluttered, his eyes transfixed on the length of Miaka's legs.

  "Onegai, kind sir, I can't take it anymore, onegai…" 

  "I'm coming!"

  As soon as the guard unlocked the door, Miaka flung all of her weight on the unfortunate man, knocking him out.

  _Now to look for Tamahome._

***

  Amiboshi ran the rest of the way down the halls of the dungeon, and finally came to a halt before one of the prison doors. 

  "Shun? Shun, please, Shun, answer me…" His vision blurred when he saw the state his brother was in. Apparently, the wounds he had sustained were only the faintest shadow of his brother's. 

  Resting his head on the prison bars, he tried to reach out to his twin through their bond.

  _Shun…_

***

  Miaka stared into Yui's cold blue eyes. She should be looking for Tamahome, but there was just this irresistible smell of food, and her legs had taken her to this room of their own accord. 

  "Miaka, I knew you couldn't resist the temptation. Serve yourself, I've prepared this specially for you."

  Yui stared in shock as she noticed that Miaka had already gobbled up half of the dishes on the table.

  "You haven't changed at all, Miaka."

  Miaka looked up in surprise as Yui burst out laughing. _Yui-chan's laughing. Has she forgiven me?_

"Yui-chan, you…understand already? Have you forgiven me?

  Yui's eyes flashed with unleashed anger. Standing up abruptly, she pulled down the sleeve of her blouse. 

  "Do you see this, Miaka? This is living proof of what I've been forced to endure, what I've been forced to suffer, and all because of you, Miaka!" Tears started streaming down Yui's face, already contorted with anger. 

  "As long as I have this scar, I'll never forgive you, Miaka!"

  Miaka stared in horror at Yui. Suddenly, she remembered Tamahome.

  "Yui-chan, where's Tamahome?"

  Yui looked at her coldly. "Tamahome? He's probably sleeping in his room."

  Miaka shook her head in adamant denial. "No! Tamahome promised to meet me! He'd never break his promise! Yui-chan!"

  Yui's eyes widen as Miaka began tugging her sleeve. "Yui-chan, onegai, please let Tamahome go! Onegai!"

  "No!" Yui's eyes burned with rage. "I will never let Tamahome return to a girl like you!"

  "Yui-chan!"

  "No!"

  "Yui, what 's the matter?" 

  Miaka's heart leaped at the sound of that familiar voice. "Tamahome!!"

  Yui could only look away, filled with grief as Miaka ran to embrace her lover.

  "Tamahome, you can't tell how much I've missed you." Miaka hugged Tamahome tightly. "Tamahome…"

  "Miaka…I've missed you too!"

  Miaka's eyes flew open as she was thrown back roughly. _It hurts…my arm…it hurts…._

_  Tamahome…_Miaka stared at Tamahome in wide-eyed disbelief. 

  "Tamahome…"

  "You have no right to address me like that. You're disgusting." 

  As he brought his weapon down on her, Miaka closed her eyes tightly, trying to hold back her tears. _All this has to be a lie, it can't be true…_

  Nothing happened.

  "Damn it, I missed. Guards, take this girl out of my sight."

  _Tamahome…_ Miaka couldn't stop the tears from coming as she was being led away by the guards.

  _Tamahome, why did you break your promise? You told me you loved me. We've been through so much…Tamahome, doushite?_

She couldn't understand why everything had turned out this way. Tamahome had promised to be always by her side. First, he had left for Kutou, now he treated her like a life-long adversary.   
  _Tamahome…he tried to kill me._

  Miaka gasped as the guards who were gripping her tightly suddenly fell to the ground with a silent thud. 

  "I knew you females were good for nothing but trouble." Two glistening fangs loomed in front of her.

  "Tasuki!!"  

  "See? I did come and rescue you," Tasuki glanced at the fallen guards casually. "Just in the nick of time, too. You should…" he stopped, staring at Miaka's shoulder. 

  "Miaka, who did that to you?" Tasuki's voice had already taken on a dangerous tone. 

  _Tamahome did this. Tamahome, how could you be so cruel? I can't tell Tasuki, he would never forgive Tamahome._

"Ehh…this? Oh, I hurt myself while I was trying to break out from prison." 

  Tasuki's look was filled with concern. "Your arm's broken! Shit, we have to do something about this!"

  Miaka stood by silently as Tasuki bandaged her arm, trying not to scream in pain. _Tamahome…no, this can't be true. I must see Tamahome again…_

  "Tasuki! Look over there! Nakago's doing a strip dance!" Once Tasuki was distracted, Miaka took advantage of those few short seconds to bind Tasuki firmly to a convenient post.

  "MIAKA!!! What do you think you are doing!!!" Tasuki roared furiously.

  "Sorry, Tasuki, but I have to see Tamahome."

  "I KNEW YOU FEMALES WERE ALL FUCKIN TROUBLE! RELEASE ME RIGHT NOW!"

  Miaka spared him one last glance. "Gomen, Tasuki. But I must…I must see Tamahome."

***

  Chichiri skidded to a halt behind Amiboshi. Amiboshi was holding onto the bars tightly, tears of pain and sorrow trickling down his cheeks.

  Without second thoughts, Chichiri murmured a hasty spell, swiftly unlocking the prison door. Amiboshi dashed in, kneeling down to cradle the person within the cell gently. 

  As Chichiri entered, only did he manage to get a full view of the young prisoner, whose face was before shrouded in the gloom and shadows of the dreary prison.

  Suboshi could have been the exact mirror image of his twin. _Could_ have been. Right now, bruised welts crisscrossed him from shoulders to knees. Day-old wounds were already starting to fester due to neglect. Angry welts covered every inch of his skin. Amiboshi was already beside himself with grief.  

  With another muttered spell, Chichiri freed Suboshi from his chains. Suboshi fell into his brother's arms, bereft of any strength or energy. 

  Chichiri felt an unfamiliar feeling surging within him. It was a feeling he hadn't experience in an extremely long time--anger.

  It would take someone with inhuman cruelty and brutality to do something like this. Nakago, it seemed, had already taken the art of cruelty to entirely new heights.

  Amiboshi held his brother as he sobbed softly. 

***

  Suboshi awoke to a world of pain and fire. Pain was filling his chest. He felt as if his back were being stripped by fire. Simply breathing had already become an onerous task.

  But all the agony was forgotten at the familiar feeling of his Aniki holding him. For the first time in seemingly ages, he actually felt warm.

  "Aniki…"

  "Shh…Shun-chan, don't talk right now." Amiboshi pulled him closer as he absently brushed away the stray bangs from his brother's face.

  Suboshi's smile was radiant. "Aniki…I knew you'd come…"

  "Hai…" Amiboshi buried his brother's face in his chest, trying to provide his brother with some warmth. 

  Suboshi lifted his head to gaze into his brother's features, slowing recovering his sight, although he was only able to make out hazy outlines of his surroundings.

  _Aniki looks so worried._ Suboshi laid a trembling hand on his brother's cheek, attempting to assure and comfort his brother. Amiboshi grasped his brother's hand firmly in his while still holding it to his face.

  "Aniki…you're crying." Suboshi grimaced. _Aniki's sad because of me. I didn't mean to make him cry. Aniki, I'm so sorry._

  Amiboshi shook his head while trying to wipe his tears away with the back of his hand. "No, I'm just…just so happy at seeing you again. Yokatta, Shun-chan, yokatta."

  Suboshi smiled in return. "Yokatta, Aniki. I missed you. I'm so glad you're all right. I was so worried…"

  Amiboshi frowned, making Suboshi bite back the rest of his sentence. _I've said something wrong again._ __

"Aniki?"

  "It's nothing, you shouldn't be worrying about me…look at what had happened to you! How could he do this?!" Amiboshi paused, trying to hold back his tears.

  "It's all my fault…" Amiboshi's voice broke. "I'm the cause of everything…"

  Suboshi shifted slightly, trying to look his brother in the eye. _Aniki's blaming himself for what Nakago did to me…he always blames himself for everything._

"Aniki, it wasn't your fault…you didn't do anything wrong. Aniki, onegai…please don't blame yourself."

  Amiboshi nodded shakily, his indigo eyes shining with fresh tears.

***

  Still holding his brother's hand, Suboshi suddenly became aware of another presence in the dark cell. As he focused with all his effort, he managed to make out the outlines of light blue hair, gravity-defying bangs, and a kindly face marred by a gruesome scar on its left eye, a decidedly familiar face.

  "Hai, Shun-chan," Amiboshi whispered softly, "He has come to help us, as he once did so long ago."

***

  Chichiri waited silently in the corner with his mask in hand as the twins were finally reunited. He knew that they were losing precious time in which they should be making their escape, but the brothers needed some time to themselves. Besides, he couldn't drag Suboshi right out now, not in the state that the young boy was in. The child could barely talk, let alone travel the half the length of the Kutou palace. The dungeons were strategically located in the very midst of the palace, making it necessary for escapees to get pass every ring of guards that were posted at all the corridors.

  He could have easily teleported them back to the palace gardens, but that much use of his magic would have alerted Nakago, even if he didn't draw on his seishi powers.

  Again, that brought him back to the problem that had been nagging him during this entire mission. 

  _Why is everything so easy?_

  Suddenly, he noticed that Suboshi had already noticed him. 

  "Chichiri-san…" Suboshi whispered.

  Chichiri smiled, "It has been a long time, Shunkaku-kun."

  Suboshi smiled weakly, "A long time, Chichiri-san. I missed you." 

  The three of them stayed like that for a while, at a loss for words.

  "You didn't visit." Suboshi told Chichiri reproachfully.

  "I'm sorry for breaking my promise, Shunkaku-kun." Chichiri smiled teasingly, "But you can't really say that, can you? I'm visiting you right now."

  Amiboshi looked around worriedly, "Speaking of visiting…"

  Chichiri nodded, "We have to leave now." He wrapped one of Suboshi's shoulders around his while Amiboshi supported his brother from the other side.

  "I see that your brother's trust in you hasn't been misplaced after all, Amiboshi." The three of them froze.

  Nakago emerged from the shadows, smirking. "Leaving so soon? You haven't given me the chance to express my gratitude towards everything you've done, Amiboshi."

  Chichiri looked at the blonde shogun, the tightly suppressed anger from before suddenly welling up all over again. _This was the man who had tortured Shunkaku._

  Right now, though, Chichiri had other more important matters to think of, such as getting out of here alive, for instance. 

  Not even pausing to think, he placed a shoulder on each of the twins and teleported them out of the dungeons. 

***

  Chichiri scanned the corridor that he had teleported them to. He had made a random choice, not wanting to bring them back to the gardens. Tamahome, Miaka and Tasuki might already be waiting for them there, and he did not want to endanger them as well, not when he had Nakago on his heels.

  Still helping Amiboshi to support his brother, they made their way across the palace grounds, when Chichiri suddenly spotted a very familiar bandit, complete with earrings, necklace, tessen and fangs. 

  "Tasuki-kun, what are you doing here!" 

  ""UNTIE ME RIGHT NOW! SHIT! MIAKA TIED ME HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

  _Miaka tied Tasuki to a post? What for?_

  This was not the time for questions, though. Hastily untying Tasuki's bonds, Chichiri resumed his way down the corridor with the twins, Tasuki following closely behind.

  Tasuki's mind was all on Suboshi. "FUCK! The poor kid can't even walk! Pity we didn't bring that messed-up cross-dresser along."

  _Or Mitsukake. Shunkaku needs Mitsukake's attention urgently. _

A worried glance down at Suboshi told Chichiri that the boy was already delirious with the fever caused by his wounds. Suboshi's weight was already being fully supported by him and Amiboshi. Chichiri kept glancing back nervously, half expecting Nakago to appear any second. In fact, he was surprised that they weren't already back down in the dungeons.

  _Suzaku…why does everything seem so out of place today?_

When they finally made their way to their meeting place, Chichiri understood. 

***

  "It's time for you to die, Suzaku no miko." As Tamahome prepared to deliver that final blow, Tasuki leaped forward and carried Miaka away while taking the blow that was meant for her.

  "Miaka! Are you all right?" Chichiri asked worriedly as he and the twins reached Miaka's side.

  "She's unconscious," Tasuki said angrily. 

  He turned to face Tamahome, fury burning in his amber eyes, "It was you who broke Miaka's arm!"

  Tamahome smiled, "Suzaku Shichisei, you've saved me the trouble of looking for you."

  Chichiri turned his attention from Miaka to look at his former ally, "Tamahome! Whose side are you on!?"

  "Don't waste your effort in talking to him, Chichiri," Tasuki's eyes gleamed, "He hurt Miaka! He's going to pay for this!"

  "Tasuki! Don't fight! He's also a Suzaku seishi!" Chichiri tried to calm the fiery bandit, but Tasuki was too caught up in his rage and anger for that. 

  Chichiri and Amiboshi could only look on in horror as the fight between the two Suzaku seishi began.

***

  "Chichiri! Leave with Miaka and the twins! I'll buy you as much time as I can!" Tasuki screamed, his attention still focused on battling Tamahome.

  _Tasuki…_ Chichiri didn't want to abandon Tasuki to his fate, but the Suzaku no miko came first. He lifted his hands to chant a spell…and found his power blocked.

  _I knew it! Nakago's somewhere around. He had all of this planned in the first place!_ _Tamahome must have been caught in Nakago's spell._

  Unable to leave the palace, Chichiri teleported Miaka and the twins into the dense growth, attempting to hide them from Nakago's view while he's finding a way to break Nakago's barrier. 

  "You can't hide from me that way, Suzaku Shichiseishi Chichiri, I presume?" Nakago's voice was filled with contempt. 

  "Amiboshi…do you think I'll let you betray me that easily? You serve Seiryuu's cause, I will not allow you to shirk your responsibilities in this way."

  Nakago smirked. The chi of Suzaku no miko, a Suzaku seishi, and two Seiryuu seishi were like a flaming beacon, almost impossible to conceal. 

  He spun round suddenly and directed a few well-aimed chi-blasts at Chichiri's hiding place. 

  Miaka shrieked in terror while Chichiri tried to shield her from Nakago's attacks as well as he could. Amiboshi, it seemed, was having similar difficulties in protecting his semi-conscious brother. Chichiri paused in his study of the twins.

  _Amiboshi…he's a Seiryuu seishi as well. If he directed his chi at Nakago's barrier, he might be able to break it. Even though Nakago has all of us shielded, we might be able to do it together. _

"Koutoku," Amiboshi looked up, his face creased in worry. "I would like you to concentrate all your chi on the barrier. We'll combine our chi through your music. Koutoku, it's our only chance."

***

  Amiboshi looked at Chichiri incredulously. _Me? Breaking Nakago's barrier? It's like demanding the impossible._

 Chichiri smiled reassuringly, "Koutoku, you won't be doing it alone. I'll be adding my strength to yours."

  Amiboshi's attention shifted at the feel of his brother's hand on his. "Aniki, I _know _you can do it. You and Chichiri-san can do it. Aniki, you can save everybody," Suboshi smiled confidently.

  Amiboshi finally nodded. He couldn't let his twin down, "Hai, Chichiri-san."

  _Shun…lend me strength._

***

  Chichiri pooled all of his strength into Amiboshi's music as the raw, ear-piercing melody reverberated throughout the night. 

  _Come on…just a little more…_

  His prayers were answered as he felt, more than saw the barrier shattering.

***__

  Yui watched the struggle below with growing trepidation. As Miaka and her friends vanished, Yui hurried down to the gardens.

  She studied the bush where Miaka had been hiding, already torn apart by Nakago's chi-blasts. 

  _Amiboshi…so he's Suboshi's twin brother._

  Somehow, she couldn't help feeling relieved for the young boy she had met in the dungeons days ago.

  For Miaka, however, it was an entirely different case. She glanced towards Tamahome.

  "Tamahome?!"

  Tears streaked down Tamahome's face as he looked out into the still night

***

. Daa!!! One super-long chapter (for us, anyway) done! 

. We've found out that someone has turned our review board into an advertising board. The authoresses are _extremely_upset. Uots (did we spell that correctly?), we do not mind if you recommended your fic on our review board, but note: It is a REVIEW board. If you're writing anything on it, at least have the decency to REVIEW first. We wanted to remove that particular review, but ff.net doesn't allow the removal of anonymous reviews. Maybe we're being too sensitive about such issues, but we feel that we somehow retain the right to um…maintain our review page strictly as a review page. What would happen if everybody simply posted an advertisement without reviewing? Please don't do that in the future, ok? 

. To all the other kind, passionate, considerate readers out there, yup, we did give Suboshi a hard time, didn't we? But he had such a heartbreaking reunion with Chichiri and Amiboshi, that does kind of make up for it. ^-^  (grabs Tears of Cyanide's Suboshi plushie) Ooooh…kawaii!


	8. Endings and Beginnings

**Endings and Beginnings**

The entire Konan palace was in uproar, with the return of Miaka and her seishi, together with the newly reunited twins. Of their plans, only one had succeeded. And at no minor cost either. Physically, Miaka had a broken arm, Amiboshi was still in pain, covered in his brother's wounds. The two who took it the worst were Tasuki and Suboshi. Tasuki was battered and bruised, suffering from some dislocated bones, a couple of broken ones, and his hair and clothes were matted with drying blood. Suboshi fared no better, and was already drifting in and out of consciousness due to fever. However, everyone was dealt a severe blow mentally, due to the recent change in situation, and Miaka took it worst of all. One thought lingered in everybody's mind. 

            _Tamahome…What… How…Why…What happened?!_

They hadn't a clue. 

            They could only hope that maybe Suboshi, the only one who's been in Kutou all this time, could provide them with an answer, but until Suboshi was cured, he could only mumble incomprehensibly when he was semi-conscious, as if hallucinating. 

            The resident healer, Mitsukake, faced a dilemma. His divine powers could only be used once per day, and yet, there were three who all needed urgent treatment. Miaka was their priestess, logically, she should be given priority, and yet, Tasuki's vocal chord seemed to be the only organ left intact of the redheaded bandit. And there was Suboshi, another Seiryuu seishi, who was on the verge of death. 

            It was Miaka who spoke first, the first words she'd uttered since coming back.

            "I…I'm alright…I can wait, Mitsukake…Please, use your powers on Tasuki or Amiboshi's brother first…They need it more." She then continued staring into nothing.

            "Hey, what are you waiting for, you bucket-head?! Heal the brat first, dammit! He needs it more than me. I'm not made of glass, you know, and…" Tasuki felt a hard jab against his injured ribs. "…OOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW! NURIKO!!!!!!! THAT FUCKIN' HURTS!!"

"I was just trying to find out since when did you have a nice, warm, compassionate heart…besides helping you prove your point as well." retorted Nuriko. "Anyway, they're right. Suboshi needs immediate treatment. Maybe then he can also give us the information on why Tamahome…"

            At the mention of Tamahome, Miaka's eyes focused for a moment, then instantly became downcast again.

             Nuriko decided to shut up, realizing he had violated a taboo. Everybody else nodded. Mitsukake went over to the twin brothers.

             "So it's decided. Amiboshi, I will heal your brother first." The huge man looked down kindly at Amiboshi, whose eyes were filled with gratitude, brimming with tears of relief. 

***

            Amiboshi hadn't expected this. They were willing to treat an outsider before their own. 

             "Arigatou Mitsukake-san… Arigatou, mina-san…"

             _Shun, you're really going to be alright._

***

            A warm green glow filled the room, as it enveloped Suboshi. Then, with a flash, it disseminated. The wounds on him faded, then disappeared, and his skin color returned to a healthy shade. Miraculously, the wounds on Amiboshi disappeared as well. The younger twin's rhythmic breathing indicated that he was asleep.

            "It's done now. Let him rest. Now, I'll bandage up the maiden and Tasuki, and let's all rest as well. We can think better tomorrow." Mitsukake ushered everyone, almost in a motherly tone. 

***

            "Mitsukake, how's the Miko? She hasn't spoken at all since last night… Are you sure she's alright?" A very worried Hotohori asked the healer, not even once taking his attention off Miaka, who was just staring into blank space. Occasionally she'd blink back tears; every once in a while she'd just let them trickle down her expressionless face. 

            "Her physical wounds are completely healed, but unfortunately my powers do not extend to healing wounded souls. She'll have to get out of it on her own. I'm sorry, I've done all I could."

            "It's okay, I understand. I think you should go see to Tasuki now. He's been cursing and swearing since he came back, and his wounds are in bad shape as well."

***

            "OOOW! OH SHIT OH SHIT OH SHI~T! DAMMIT MITSUKAKE CAN'T YOU BE GENTLER?! Geez… and you're supposed to be the kind gentle healer…OWW!!"  

             "…How'd you expect me to bandage you up properly if you squirm and shout every time I come within a ten-centimeter radius of you?"  Mitsukake went and came back with some huge planks.

             "Wh…what do you need those huge planks for anyway?! And what is that weird icky green stuff that stings like hell?!!"

             "It's called first-aid, my dear fang boy; for your broken bones. Actually, it's also to tie you up with so you won't kick me again. For safety measures, I think I'm going to tie you to the bedpost as well. And if you don't plan to shut up, I'm going to bandage your mouth up…"

             "AAAAHHHH!!! FIRST DEGREE MURDER!!!! HEEEEEEEELP!!!! Where's my TESSEN?!!!!"

             "…Nuriko? Do me a favor and hold this squirming idiot down." 

             "It would be my pleasure…"

             "AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!! OKAY! OKAY!!! I'll be good…"

***

            "Aniki…"

            Amiboshi's eyes flew open in an instant, his arms going around his younger brother protectively. 

            "Shun! You're awake…are you thirsty? I'll get you a glass of water…I suppose you're hungry as well…"

             Suboshi shook his head, his hand grasping his twin's. "No…" His eyes widened slightly after taking in his surroundings.

             "Aniki, where are we?"

             Amiboshi smiled, though his eyes never left his brother's. "We're in the Konan imperial palace, Shun." As he talked, he slipped his hand out of Suboshi's and began pouring his brother a glass of water.

             Suboshi nodded slowly, comprehension finally dawning as memories of the past night flooded back.

            Amiboshi passed the glass to his brother, his indigo eyes suddenly pensive with thought.

             "Otouto," he began, his voice taking on a distant tone, "if it weren't for the Suzaku seishi, I would never be able to save you, and I…owe them everything, especially after what I've done. If it weren't for them, you would still be hurt, and because of me…" he stopped abruptly as he noticed the pained look on his brother's features.

            "Aniki, it really…"

            "No, Shun. I'm the one to take the blame, if I didn't do what I've done…"

            "Aniki!" Suboshi protested, "You didn't do anything wrong!"

            "I would like to talk about something else." Amiboshi's voice held a ring of firm finality. Suboshi subsided, albeit a little sullenly.

            Trying to break the awkward silence, Amiboshi began to talk about the first topic his mind could come up with—Chichiri.

            "He hasn't changed at all, has he, Shun?"

            Suboshi immediately brightened at the mention of their old friend. "I would never have imagined that Chichiri-san was a Suzaku seishi. Aniki, why didn't you tell me? You must have known _ages_ ago…you could have sent me a message," His voice took on a petulant tone. "Aniki…don't you trust me?"

            Amiboshi looked at his brother in shock, "Hai, Shun, of course I do. I always do. The one whom I didn't trust was Nakago. What if he found out that we were friends with one of the Suzaku seishi? What would he have done?" his face fell, "Not that it would have made much of a difference…"

            Suboshi bit his lip. _Why won't Aniki see that it wasn't his fault? He's so stubborn! _

             "Aniki, what are the other Suzaku seishi like? Are they all like Chichiri-san? If they are, no wonder you like them so much!" he said cheerily.

            Amiboshi frowned thoughtfully. "Deep within, they're all like Chichiri-san. They care, Shun. They really do. They help others because they want to, not as a means to achieve their own goals." 

            He started describing each of the Suzaku seishi. "Firstly, there's Tamahome-san, Miaka's lover and protector, or so I've heard. I don't really know him…and when we met, it wasn't under the best of circumstances. I really do not understand, why he acted the way he did at…"Amiboshi didn't dwell long on the topic.

            "Next there's Nuriko-san, if you hadn't noticed, Nuriko-san's actually a man. He's a cross-dresser, try to get on his good side if you want to have your body parts intact, though. And there's Tasuki-san…"

             Suboshi was in tears from laughing when his brother had finished listing all of the Suzaku seishi.

             "They are _weird, Aniki," he wheezed. "But then," he added thoughtfully, "I don't suppose we're in the position to criticize, are we?"_

            Amiboshi blinked. "Now that you've mentioned it…"

             "Hmm…" Suboshi grinned, "On our side we have a…sadistic shogun," Suboshi hurried over the mention of Nakago, not wanting to relive the painful memories, "an ex-prostitute with an unhealthy obsession, a painted freak, a baby monk, a wolf-man…"

            "And a pair of messed-up twins who don't know what in the name of Seiryuu they are doing," Amiboshi finished.

            Suboshi grinned. "Yeah…the gods must have gone for variety instead of talent when they chose their seishi." 

            Both twins burst out laughing.

***

            Chichiri heard voices and laughter as he approached the twins' room. _So, Shunkaku's finally awake._

_            Knocking lightly on the door, he waited for the twins' simultaneous replies before entering._

             "Chichiri-san!" Chichiri suddenly found himself being attacked by an over-enthusiastic fifteen-year-old. Smiling, he tried to disentangle himself from Suboshi's tight hug. It seemed that Suboshi hadn't changed at all in the span of six years.

            "I see that you've recovered fully from your injuries no da, Shunkaku-chan," Chichiri commented, "How are you feeling today no da?"

            "Fine, Chichiri-san!" Suboshi exclaimed while dragging Chichiri to the nearest chair.

            "Shun! Where are your manners!?" Amiboshi chided.

            "Chichiri-san won't mind, Aniki. You won't, will you, Chichiri-san?" Suboshi sat next to his brother on the bed.

            "Of course not, no da," Chichiri looked at the twins in amusement. Now that Suboshi's wounds were healed, there was no way for a stranger to differentiate between the twins at all. He could still remember his shock and confusion at meeting them for the first time. He thanked Suzaku that he wouldn't have to go through the entire charade for a second time. Tasuki's reaction might prove interesting, though.

            "I'm glad that you're all right, Shunkaku. Koutoku was very worried about you no da." 

            Amiboshi shot Chichiri an indignant look. "Of course I was worried! There wouldn't be anyone for me to browbeat if Shun weren't here!"

            "Aniki!!!" Suboshi protested.

            Amiboshi's eyes twinkled mischievously. "I actually managed to have some peace when you weren't around. You couldn't imagine how quiet it was without you pestering me," grinning at his brother's outraged look, he added, almost as an afterthought, "In fact, it was a little _too quiet…it actually started to get boring. I really wouldn't want to die from boredom, would I? Why else would I go to such trouble to rescue you?" _

            Suboshi glared daggers at his twin. "Excuse me!!!??? Try putting yourself in _my position for once! Then you'll see how it feels to have an elder brother who constantly nags on about…"_

            Chichiri looked on as the twins bickered, relieved that Suboshi had seemingly recovered from his physical and emotional trauma.

***

             "Chichiri-sama!" The door banged open to reveal a guard, leaning heavily against the doorframe, still gasping for breath. "Chichiri-sama…Suzaku seishi Tamahome has returned! Heika-sama is now on his way to meet him…he…" The guard was pushed roughly aside as Chichiri rushed out of the room, with Amiboshi and Suboshi following close behind.

***

            "Chichiri-san! Why can't you do something?!" Amiboshi pleaded as the battle between Hotohori and the bewitched Tamahome raged on.

            Chichiri could only stare on helplessly. "I can't, Koutoku-kun, Hotohori-sama has committed all of his chi and fury into this duel. Both of them might die if I interfere now."

            The battle became even more heated as both participants grew in anger and ire. Hotohori, in his desire to avenge the Suzaku no Miko, and Tamahome, under the control of the Kodoku potion, to kill her. 

            "Tamahome!!!!" At the most inopportune moment, the main cause of the conflict—Miaka, appeared.

"Tamahome! Please stop! This isn't you! Tamahome!!!!!!"

            In his frenzied state, Tamahome turned to find his target—and with a crazed gleam in his gray eyes, raised his sword for the final strike. 

             "Tamahome!!!!!!!!" Miaka's eyes were filled with horror as she watched her lover fall to the ground, crimson blood flowing from his fatal wound. Hotohori lifted his sword, now stained with Tamahome's blood.

             "Tamahome…" Miaka wept as she cradled her seishi, her tears mingling with the falling rain, "Tamahome…don't leave me, you promised…"

Even in his final moments, Tamahome fought to reach his fallen sword, still seeking a way to kill his Miko. 

"Tamahome…if this is what you really want, do it." At her words, even Tamahome's eyes widened in shock. "If killing me would make you happy, then I would happily die for you. Tamahome, I just want you to be happy."

            "Miaka…" Miaka looked up at the sudden change of her lover's tone, tears still flowing freely down her cheeks, "Miaka, I'm so sorry…"

            At his words, Miaka knew that Tamahome was finally himself. "Mitsukake!!!!!"

            At Miaka's request, Mitsukake was immediately at Tamahome's side, putting his gifts to use. 

            "Everything will be all right, Miaka," he assured her. Miaka nodded thankfully, her tears, now tears of joy and relief at having finally redeemed her lover's lost soul.

***

            "Are you SURE!!!????" Tasuki asked doubtfully, still glaring at Tamahome suspiciously despite Miaka's assurances that Tamahome would never lift a finger against her.

            "Hey, Tasuki. We've only just met. I just can't understand why you seem to hold a personal grudge against me," Tamahome commented innocently.

            Red veins started to show on Tasuki's forehead. "PERSONAL GRUDGE!!!!?? And you actually dared to say that we've only JUST met!!!!!?? Look at me! Who did you think fuckin' bashed me!!!!!??? It was YOU!!!! DEMON CREEP!!!!!!"

            Tamahome's oni symbol started to glow. "Who were you just calling a demon creep?" he asked dangerously, "Now look here…"

            Hotohori sighed while placing his hands on his forehead to prevent an imminent headache.

            "They seem to be getting along quite well," Miaka said brightly.

            Chichiri sweat-dropped. "It was much more peaceful before Mitsukake healed Tasuki-kun's wounds no da."

            Tasuki took his attention off Tamahome long enough to glare at Chichiri. "And what did you mean by THAT???!!!"

            Chichiri immediately waved his hands in a placating gesture. "Ehhh, nothing no da, Tasuki-kun."

            Amiboshi sat by quietly while watching the byplay of the Suzaku seishi. He was already used to their informality towards each other. Suboshi, however, stared open-mouth as lances of fire streaked past with occasional shrieks closely following, the result of someone being flung through a wall due to Nuriko's strength. Hotohori winced every single time a clash reverberated throughout the entire Konan palace, no doubt silently calculating the additional expenses.

            "Amiboshi." Amiboshi lifted his head in surprise. 

            "What are your plans for the future? Now that your brother is safe, have you decided what you would like to do next?" Hotohori inquired.

            Amiboshi's heart sank. He knew it. He and Shunkaku couldn't possibly stay in the Konan palace for the rest of their lives, but if they went home now…

            "We were thinking that you and Suboshi would like to stay with us for the time-being." Hotohori continued, "Well? It is your decision."

            This time both twins stared at the Konan emperor in disbelief.

            "Amiboshi, Suboshi, please stay! We would love to have you!" Miaka exclaimed.

            Amiboshi immediately turned towards Chichiri, who nodded reassuringly. "Hai, Koutoku-chan, you and Shunkaku are welcome here."

            "But…I…we…" Amiboshi still couldn't believe his ears. They were actually asking him and his brother to stay. The Suzaku seishi were still willing to extend their generosity unconditionally, even after everything they'd already done for him and his twin.

            "Amiboshi, I do not mean to alarm you, but Nakago would not give up his seishi so easily, especially since you're essential in the summoning of Seiryuu. Further more, we have already gathered all of our seishi, and Tamahome has already volunteered to go and retrieve the lost Shijin Tenchi Sho tonight. It would be safer if you remained." Hotohori lifted his eyebrows questioningly.

            Amiboshi couldn't trust himself to speak. In fact, he couldn't bring himself to look at any of the Suzaku seishi in the eye. They were actually trying to protect him and Shun-chan. First, they had offered their help in saving his twin, now they were offering their protection.

            "We…we would love to…" he choked. Suboshi nodded shakily, his eyes paranormally bright. 

            Amiboshi felt his eyes brimming with tears of gratitude as well. "Arigatou gozaimasu, minna-san!"

***

            Tamahome was silently making his way down the corridors of the Kutou palace in his search for the Shijin Tenchi Sho went he came face-to-face with his hated nemesis. 

            "Tamahome, how pleasant. Have you succeeded in killing the Suzaku no Miko?" Nakago asked with a smirk.

            "Yes." Tamahome forced himself to wear a mask of total submission and obedience. _Damn that bastard!_

_            "I…see." Nakago's eyes narrowed suddenly when he noticed the absence of his earring on Tamahome's ear as the Suzaku seishi started to walk away._

            "Tamahome," Tamahome spun around. "you have returned to normal." Tamahome leaped out of the way as Nakago's whip lashed out violently.

            "Yes, I am no longer controlled by your devices, Nakago," Tamahome's glare intensified as he threw a blue earring towards the shogun, "You are unable to harm me now either. Chichiri is now transmitting a protective shield around me. I know I'm not your match now, Nakago. But sometime in the future, I will return, and you will die in my hands."

            Nakago raised one of his eyebrows. "I see. How amusing. And why have you returned today, Tamahome?"

            "I am not particularly eager to see you, Nakago. I came back for the Shijin Tenchi Sho. I don't suppose you would care to return it, would you?"

            Nakago seemed to be growing increasingly amused with each passing second. "You insult me, Tamahome. I wouldn't keep something that is by right yours. Catch this, since you've so kindly returned my earring." 

            Tamahome caught the bag deftly, quickly untying the strings to reveal—ashes. 

            "So, Tamahome? I hope that the ashes of the Shijin Tenchi Sho would satisfy you. You should appreciate the effort I've put into keeping the ashes after I've burnt the scroll."

            Tamahome's eyes widened in shock. "You…you filthy bastard…"

            "Yes, Tamahome? Would you actually pit your power against mine?"

            "Nakago, no!!!" Both men turned to see Yui, her eyes filled with fear and anxiety. 

            Tamahome looked into Yui's tremulous eyes. Try as he might, he could not bring himself to hate her. Gripping the bag tightly, he turned back to Nakago, his eyes once more filled with hatred.

            "I will find a way to defeat you, Nakago. I will!"

            Tamahome left without another word, his heart clenched in worry and trepidation. 

            _Miaka…what would you say when you found out?_

***

  .  BloodyCrystal: My birthday was over just a few days ago…and since we updated only after my birthday, I don't suppose I can have a few delayed birthday              presents…in the form of reviews?

     Snowdancer  : Sorry that we took so long to update (looks pointedly at BloodyCrystal), and this time we don't have any other excuse besides the lame old writer's block. At least we managed to post something, after goodness knows how long. @_@


	9. Paying The Price In Blood

Paying The Price In Blood

            "WHAT!!!!!!!!!??" Tasuki shrieked, "WHAT DID THAT BASTARD DO!!????"

            Tamahome placed the ashes of the Suzaku scroll on the table, his features dark with worry and anxiety. "These are the ashes of the Shijin Tenchi Sho," he said simply, yet even in those simple words, one could tell that Tamahome was as agitated as Tasuki was.

            Everybody stared at what remained of the Shijin Tenchi Sho. Silence reigned. No one, it seemed, was ready to accept the dire news that Tamahome had brought back with him. 

            The stillness was suddenly shattered by broken sobs. Tamahome turned to see Miaka weeping, her small frame quivering uncontrollably as tears ran down her cheeks.

            "Miaka…" Tamahome began gently.

            "Gomen nasai, Tamahome! Gomen nasai, minna-san…gomen nasai…" Miaka cried. "I'm so sorry…"

            "Miaka, this wasn't your fault!" Hotohori protested.

            Miaka shook her head adamantly, refusing to listen to all the voices of denial from her seishi. "You've all tried so hard, we were already so close to summoning Suzaku, and now…this is all my fault!"

            "SHIT! DAMMIT MIAKA! How many times must we say that this has nothing to do with you at all!! IT WAS THAT DUMBASS NAKAGO!!!"

            Miaka continued sobbing, "No…it was I who lost the Shijin Tenchi Sho in the first place. If I hadn't dropped it in the Kutou palace, Nakago wouldn't be able to get hold of it. We would be summoning Suzaku, and everybody would be so happy…things weren't supposed to be like this!"

            "Miaka…" Tamahome tried to console her, but Miaka only continued crying.

            "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…" she continued babbling, only half of her words coherent, "So many people were hurt because we wanted to summon Suzaku, some have even _died_…and now we couldn't even do it! "

            Miaka lifted her head to look at the twins, "Amiboshi, Suboshi, you were hurt because you supported our cause, I'm sorry…"

            She then turned to Mitsukake, "Mitsukake, you've lost Shouka…she sacrificed herself for me and the rest of the villagers…I'm sorry…"

            "Hotohori…as the priestess of Suzaku, I've failed to protect Konan and its people from harm…so many more people would die…"

            "Tamahome, Chichiri, Tasuki, Nuriko, Chiriko…you've all sacrificed so much, and I've still failed in carrying out my duty…"

            Miaka's voice broke. "I'm so angry with myself! I'm supposed to be helping, and now everyone has suffered because of me! Why!!??"

            Nobody could answer her question.

            "I see you've matured a lot, Suzaku no Miko," a voice that sounded like gravel being slowly ground to dust commented. 

            "AHHHHHH!!! SUKANAKE BABA!!!!!" Tamahome and Tasuki screamed in unison. 

            The great creator of the universe—Taiitsukun, scowled. On her, the effect was tremendous. "Who were you calling an old hag, you incompetent idiots?!" she demanded, looming over Tamahome and Tasuki menacingly. 

            Tamahome and Tasuki immediately tried to make themselves as unnoticeable as possible. "Heh…we didn't exactly mean what we said…"

            Taiitsukun snorted, once more turning her attention back to Miaka. "You've failed in your duty, Suzaku no Miko. Now that the Shijin Tenchi Sho has been burnt to ashes, it can be no longer used to summon Suzaku."

            Miaka's lower lip trembled, "I'm no longer able to summon Suzaku…I've failed…then everyone's sacrifice was in vain…"

            Tamahome glared at Taiitsukun. "Sukanake Baba, Miaka's already did her best, don't be so harsh on her!" 

            Taiitsukun virtually exploded. "YOU HAVE PLENTY OF NERVE, SUZAKU SEISHI TAMAHOME!!!!"

            Tamahome cowered back while mumbling senseless apologies.

            "I did not say that you were unable to summon Suzaku." Taiitsukun commented casually. Miaka's head snapped up at her words.

            "But…you said…"

            "I said that the Shijin Tenchi Sho could no longer be use as a means to summon the beast god. I did not say that there was no other way." 

            Miaka stared at Taiitsukun in shock. Tamahome started spluttering indignantly, "Why didn't you say so earlier, old hag?"

            Taiitsukun swelled impressively, "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME JUST NOW!!!!???"

            Tamahome fled. 

            "Suzaku no Miko, there is another way to summon Suzaku, but this approach is extremely challenging and exigent, and it requires the utmost dedication from the priestess and her seishi. Are you willing to accept this responsibility?"

            Miaka's eyes had steeled in resolve. "Yes, I am."

            Taiitsukun nodded. "Then so be it. In order to summon Suzaku, you must now journey to the lands of Hokkan to acquire the Genbu Shinzaho."

            "The Genbu Shinzaho…" Miaka mused.

            Taiitsukun turned towards the Suzaku seishi. Incandescent globes materialized above their palms. As the blazing light faded, the awed Suzaku seishi found themselves armed with newly-enhanced weapons and chi. 

            "You will have to face greater dangers and trials to protect your priestess on this journey. These will aid you in your task." She then fixed her attention on the twins. "Amiboshi and Suboshi, would you like to accompany the Suzaku no Miko and her seishi on this journey?"

            Both twins were startled by Taiitsukun's question. She was actually asking if they, as Seiryuu seishi, would like to join the Suzaku seishi on their mission.

            Amiboshi recovered from his initial surprise. "Yes…we would…that is…if they want to have us…"

            "Of course we do!!" It seemed that Miaka had reverted to her former bouncy nature now that she had regained hope of summoning Suzaku.

            "Then you should be better equipped to protect the Suzaku no Miko," Taiitsukun's voice grated.

            Both twins stared at her in disbelief. "You would…actually ask us, Seiryuu seishi, to protect the Suzaku no Miko?" Suboshi stuttered. 

            Taiitsukun snorted. "I supposed you're rejecting the offer, then…"

            "No! We'll go!" both twins exclaimed.

            Two blazing globes appeared before the twins, not dissimilar to that of the Suzaku seishi. When the globes dissolved, the results were obvious. Amiboshi fingered his flute wonderingly, then started to play a short tune with it, marveling at how the instrument now picked up every twist and eddy of his chi, so that the melody that he played was even more hauntingly beautiful, thus establishing a connection between his soul and his music that wasn't there before. 

            Suboshi found himself holding a very familiar weapon—his ryuuseisui. He held the ryuuseisui in his hands, trying to get the balance and feel of his replaced weapon. Like Amiboshi's flute, his ryuuseisui responded to the slightest direction of his chi, and he found it even easier to control than his old weapon.

            Tamahome's eyes bulged as he took in the sight of all the seishi admiring their new gifts. Tugging at Taiitsukun's sleeve, he began to whine, "Taiitsukun, what about me? Aren't you giving me something?"

            Taiitsukun started laughing hysterically. "No, and you can stop pestering me, since gifts from an old hag are unlikely to satisfy the likes of you."

            Tamahome looked ready to faint.

***

            "We're ready to go!!!" Miaka sang happily. Everybody smiled at her obvious enthusiasm.

            Hotohori suddenly addressed Tamahome, "Tamahome, would you like it if I offered your family lodging at the palace? You're probably worried about having to leave them while you're on the search for the Shinzaho, and it would be safer if your family was under my care."

            Tamahome gaped at the emperor, his eyes shining with joy. "Real…ly?" He was suddenly on his knees, showering Hotohori with speeches of thanks and gratitude.

            Chichiri stood by as Hotohori blushed profusely at the exaggerated display of appreciation from Tamahome when he noticed the twins watching the scene with apparent longing written in their eyes.

            "Koutoku and Shunkaku-kun, do you miss your parents?"

            Amiboshi looked embarrassed, "Hai…it's just that we haven't seen them for some time, and…"

            "I don't know how tousan and kaasan are now…" Suboshi muttered.

            "Would you like to visit them? I remember that you lived at the border, it wouldn't take to long," Chichiri suggested.

            Hotohori overheard their conversation. "Your parents would be welcome at the imperial palace."

            The twins' eyes went wide. "Thank you…" Amiboshi choked.

            "Why don't you go now? Tamahome-kun's going to bring his family to the palace." Chichiri couldn't help smiling underneath his mask as the twins immediately ran off, with Suboshi hauling him along by the arm.

***

            "Suboshi-kun, is this where you and Amiboshi-kun live?" Yuiren asked, looking at the small cottage with its vegetable beds and animal pens, her little hand firmly latched on to Tamahome's arm.

            "Hai, Yuiren." Suboshi answered as he quickened his steps.

            "Suboshi-kun, Yuiren does not understand," Yuiren asked innocently, "Why do your parents live in a different place? Onii-san told me that this is Kutou, and Yuiren is living in Konan. You and Amiboshi-kun are in Konan, but your parents live in Kutou. Why don't you all live in the same country? Isn't there work for you to do in Kutou?"

            Suboshi bit his lip. How could he ever answer that?

            Tamahome sensed Suboshi's dilemma and immediately shushed his little sister.

            "Tousan! Kaasan!" Amiboshi called as they approached the old cottage.

            Grabbing Suboshi's hand, Amiboshi flung open the wooden door. "Tousan! Kaasan! Why didn't you…?"

            Amiboshi's hands trembled as he stared at the sight before him. "Tousan…"

***

            "Tousan…" Amiboshi whispered shakily.

            Their father's body lay among a dark pool of red blood. The stench of death hung thickly in the cottage. The old man's face was contorted in agony from his final moments of life, his hand outstretched as if asking…begging for mercy. His eyes stared blankly at the walls, the once kindly light in them now dimmed by the veil of death.

            "Onii-san!!!" Yuiren screamed. Tamahome instantly twisted his siblings around, trying to shield them from the horrifying sight.

            Amiboshi huddled his dead father. "Tousan…please…no…." _This isn't real. Tousan, wake up! You must wake up!_

            The tears were coming. He squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to give in to the urge to cry. _This isn't real._ "Tousan…"

            "Tousan…" an identical voice echoed him. Amiboshi looked up tearfully to see his twin leaning against the wall, shaking his head in denial, shedding the tears that Amiboshi hadn't allowed himself to shed.

            "Shun-chan…"

***

            Suboshi stared at the carnage before him. His brother was cradling their dead father…this had happened before…it all seemed so unreal…__

_            "Nii-chan!!" a young boy of about five wept, clinging onto his brother's shirt._

_            "Hush…otouto…don't cry, don't cry."_

_            "Nii-chan, where's otousan and okaasan? I want okaasan!" _

_            "Shh…Shun-chan…otousan and okaasan have gone to live in another world, they won't be with us anymore," his brother pulled him closer._

_            "But nii-chan…otousan and okaasan are lying there…I can see them. Why aren't they moving?"_

_            "They can't move anymore, Shun-chan. Otouto…please don't cry, I'm still here. No matter what, I'll always be here…"_

"Tousan…" Suboshi shook his head violently. _ No…it is all happening again…why is everything the same?_

            "Shun-chan…" Aniki's calling him. _Otousan…why isn't he moving?_

            His cheeks were wet. Suboshi brought a hand to his face. _Why am I crying?_

            "Shun…" a comforting hand held his firmly. Suboshi wiped his eyes. He couldn't understand why he couldn't see clearly. _Aniki…_

            Blood. So much blood. It's the same…Aniki… 

            Suboshi's eyes fell onto dark red words, words that were written in blood on the walls. _Otousan's blood…_

            "Aniki…I can't read it…I can't see…Aniki, can you read it?" _Why is Aniki looking so worried?_

***

            Amiboshi held his sobbing twin tightly. His eyes ran over the dark words, smeared in his dead father's blood. 

            _People have paid for your betrayal, Amiboshi and Suboshi. Your mother is currently in my hands…still unharmed. I will not guarantee how long her present situation will last. It is your decision._

Amiboshi faltered, his heart lurching violently, but his hands never once letting go of his otouto's. _Nakago…it's him._

            "Aniki…Aniki? What does it say? Aniki, tell me!"

            "No, Shun-chan…not now. No…" Amiboshi tried to hide the words from his brother, but Suboshi twisted himself out of his grasp and stumbled towards the wall

            "Shun-chan, no!!!!!"

***

            Suboshi felt the world spinning around him, if it weren't for his Aniki, he would have fallen.

            _No…not him…it couldn't be Nakago…_

"Shun-chan…please…don't be like this, everything's going to be all right…"

            "It's the same…" Suboshi muttered incoherently, "it's the same…the same…"

            "Shun-chan, _please…_"

            "No!!! Aniki!!" Suboshi screamed, tears of grief still running down his cheeks, "Nothing changes…nothing ever changes…nothing's ever all right…"

            "Shun-chan, listen to me…"

            Suboshi shook his head, his words still barely audible, "I didn't want anything, I just wanted to be happy with you, and otousan…and okaasan…it wasn't to much to ask, was it? Aniki…why did he have to destroy everything?"

            Amiboshi stared at his brother in horror as Suboshi babbled on, "I'm tired of this, Aniki…I'm so tired. We left otousan and okaasan for the promise of peace, we left the Seiryuu seishi for the fight for peace, and now…we've lost otousan again…why does it always happen to us? Why _us_?"

            "It's wrong…maybe all of this has been a mistake in the first place…a mistake…" Suboshi's voice trailed off, sobs wrecking his body.

            "Shun…" Amiboshi tried to console his twin, but he didn't know what to say. Unconsciously, he was sharing the same thoughts as he brother. What if they didn't deserve a normal peaceful life? What if he and Shun were only supposed to follow the destiny of a Seiryuu seishi? Maybe they were going against what was written in the stars…they were betraying Seiryuu-seikun…

            Suboshi wept into his brother's shirt, as he did so long ago. "I'm scared…I'm so afraid…what if it's you the next time? I can't lose you…I can never lose you…"

            "Shhh…I've promised that I'll never leave, I'll never break my promises to you. Shun. I won't leave you…"

            Suboshi suddenly pushed him away roughly. Amiboshi noticed that his brother was now crying tears of anger. 

            "Aniki, I want this to stop…I can't go on anymore…I want this to stop!" With that, Suboshi ran out of the cottage, leaving his brother behind.

            "Shun!!!"

***

            Chichiri could only watch in shock as the dreadful reality unfolded itself. It was he who had brought the twins to their new home. Because of him, the twins were reliving another tragic episode of their life. Because of him, they were enduring the pain and terror of their childhood. 

            _Nakago…you didn't have to do this…is there any remnant of humanity left within you?_

            Or perhaps Chichiri himself had made the wrong move. Now a life was lost because of what he had done six years ago.

            _No…I will not berate myself over this. I promised that I would not blame myself needlessly. It was Nakago…and it is Nakago that I must deal with, not myself._

"Aniki, I want this to stop…I can't go on anymore…I want this to stop!" 

            _Shunkaku…_

            Amiboshi stood in paralysis as his brother ran out. The elder twin might be more composed, but Chichiri could see that Amiboshi was in as much pain as his twin was. 

            "Chichiri-san…I don't know what I'm supposed to do…Chichiri-san…"

            "I'll speak to your brother, Koutoku," Chichiri said gently. Amiboshi nodded gratefully before turning his face away. 

            "I…don't dare to face otouto…right now…I don't want to cry in front of him. I'm the only one he has right now…and if I told him that I didn't know what to do…"

            "I understand," Chichiri left the cottage unwillingly.

            _Koutoku…heal quickly. Shunkaku needs you, you know that. He needs you. _

***

**.** Time for authors' notes again! Yeah, we wrote a death scene, but it's one of the teeny-weeny minor characters. After all, we need to do something to let this fic deserve its PG-13 rating, right? So any killing of the characters is not our fault. If we didn't do it, the readers would have thought that we were chicken (since this fic has been _soooo_ tame). Fine, we _are_ chicken (or we would have written a NC-17 or R fic), but we don't want to admit it, ok?  

**. **We're doing something most ff.net authors do…replying to individual reviews (or when there's a need to explain, anyway).

  rj—Yep, we definitely prefer a psychotic Suboshi. (Snowdancer: Suboshi's not psychotic! He's just emotional! _Yeah, sure…_) So we've found a way to return Suboshi to his psychotic self…or half-psychotic self, anyway. He's a lot more matured than in the series. ^-^


	10. Clashes Between Fire and Lightning

**Clashes Between Fire and Lightning**

 The forest floor was covered in leaves, branches, and twigs, many still falling from the canopy above. Little forest animals scampered frantically away. Not too far away, the sounds of a faint humming together with the crashing and breaking of tree branches, followed by anguish cries could be heard. 

             Chichiri trudged on quickly. He knew just by the sounds what was going on. Shunkaku was venting his anger and grief by destroying the calm serenity of the forest using his new ryuuseisui. At least the boy was destroying the forest instead of the entire village or himself, by keeping his emotions bottled up inside him. Letting out your feelings is usually the first step to recovery.

             He stopped behind a great tree and found Shunkaku, unaware of his arrival, lashing out furiously at the vegetation around him. He let him continue: the boy needed some time to himself. Chichiri stayed behind the relative safety of the tree and watched the younger twin silently, and couldn't help feeling a wave of sympathy for the twins and a rush of anger at Nakago wash over him. Nobody had done anything to deserve this, much less the twin brothers who've already been through so much in their young lives.   

 About half an hour later, the seemingly innocent weapon fell to the ground with a thud, its owner sobbing silently nearby. 

 Chichiri ventured out of his hiding spot and went towards Shunkaku. He laid a comforting hand on the boy's trembling shoulders.

             "Shunkaku-chan…"

             Before he could even react, Shunkaku turned around and clung to him not unlike a drowning kitten. Chichiri felt his clothes begin to soak in fresh tears as Shunkaku, so carefree only a couple of hours before, quivered in his arms. Unsure of what to do, he patted Shunkaku on the back, and allowed him to keep his position.

             Poor Shunkaku. He needs a parental figure to look up to so badly, and twice, Nakago had taken it away from him, just like that. The emotional strain had already taken its toll on the twins, and now the shogun's ripping apart their old wounds on purpose. 

            After a moment, the crying stopped and Shunkaku pulled away from the monk. As if just realizing what he just did, Shunkaku started stammering.

            "I… gomen… Chichiri-san… I…I shouldn't have…"

            Chichiri gave the boy a smile as he took off his ever-grinning mask.

             "It's okay, Shunkaku-chan. Don't worry about it." 

             "… Thanks."

            A moment of silence passed, and Chichiri was the first to speak.

            "How do you feel now?"

            "Slightly better… I've sworn to myself that I would kill that Nakago one day to avenge my parents and foster parents. How dare he just waltz into our lives, destroying everything, putting me and aniki through all this…Dammit!" There was heavy spite in his tone, before he added softly, "…how is aniki?"

            "He feels the same as you do. You should know. You know him just as much as you know yourself. Maybe better."

            Shunkaku nodded, tears once again threatening to fall.

            "Listen, Shunkaku." Chichiri said, making sure he had the young seiryuu seishi's full attention. "You have to be strong and pull yourself together, for your own sake and for your brother as well. The past is the past, and it's best not to dwell in it too much. What we should do now, is to stop Nakago and whatever his future plans may be. One way to achieve that is to get those shinzahos and summon Suzaku. And don't forget we still have to rescue your foster mother as well. Do you understand that, Bu Shunkaku?"

            Shunkaku didn't reply, merely staring into the forest, considering the words of the scar-faced monk.

            Then, he wiped the tear stains off his face and stood up. He gave Chichiri a small, albeit rather forced smile as he willed his trusty ryuuseisui back into his hands.

            "Let's go back now, Chichiri-san. Aniki and everybody else is waiting for us."

            Chichiri was about to put his mask back on when Shunkaku spoke again.

            "Thanks, Chichiri-san."

            It was Chichiri's turn to smile as they made their way back to the others, the tranquility returning to the woods.  

***

            "Shun, are… are you okay now?" Amiboshi asked his twin quietly. Suboshi had just returned from the woods with Chichiri, composed, but unusually quiet. Even though Chichiri indicated that all was well now, he had to ask his brother himself.

             "I've been better, aniki, but I've been worse as well. Thanks to Chichiri-san, I now have a goal in life, that is, to stop Nakago and avenge both our sets of parents." Seeing the uncertain look in his brother's face, Suboshi added. " It's okay, aniki. Don't blame yourself for anything, and don't blame anyone here as well. The only one to blame is Nakago, you know that? And don't you dare be stubborn with me."

             "Shun… you are…"

            "Growing up?" A spark of familiar mischievousness crossed Suboshi's eyes. 

             Amiboshi cracked a grin as he ruffled his twin's hair. "Well, don't grow up too fast. I might have to catch up with you one day. Come on, let's go see the others. They seem very worried about us." 

 "Aniki, as long as I still have you, I'll be fine."

 Amiboshi squeezed his brother's arm comfortingly. 

 "Let's go."

***

             Everybody, except Hotohori who couldn't leave his duties as an emperor, was onboard the ship heading straight for Hokkan, the snowy lands of the north. Hokkan: region of the beast-god Genbu, where the first Shinzaho was supposed to be.

 Before they left, Miaka had insisted all of them take a photo with a camera she had brought from her world, and Hotohori had later given Miaka his chi-infused deity sword for protection. They set sail soon after managing to get the resident water-fearing mountain bandit onto the boat itself.

 Half a day had already gone by on the ship, and it was rather peaceful. Suboshi and Amiboshi were still quiet compared to their usual selves, but they were well on the healing road nonetheless. Tasuki suffered from seasickness but Mitsukake refused to cure him with his powers, saying that he might need his powers later for more serious emergencies, and gave him a bottled concoction of a greenish substance instead.

            "This is how normal people relieve seasickness."

            "How? Do I rub it on my head?" Tasuki sniffed at the goo, and a second later almost threw the bottle away, no thanks to the offending stench. 

            "No. You pour some into your mouth and swallow it. And try not to regurgitate."

             "EEEEEEEW! No way I'm putting this into my mouth…"

            "For Suzaku's sake, this is only made of herbs! Look, do you want to get rid of that seasickness of yours or not?"

            "Yes, but can you make this taste a little better before I take it?"

            An exasperated Mitsukake rolled his eyes. _So, I'm a doctor _and_ a cook as well? _

***

             A flock of crows flew by, cawing, the black birds indicating bad omen.

             _This isn't good._ Chichiri thought as he scanned the horizon. 

             True enough, dark clouds formed quickly above them, blocking the clear sky they had enjoyed since they started their journey. Maybe a bit too quickly, as it immediately struck Chichiri as odd. He had been watching the sky all day, and nothing had forecasted the incoming storm. 

 He sensed an unfamiliar chi.  

            _Seiryuu seishi…_

***

            Amiboshi stiffened, as so Suboshi. Both of them had sensed the life force of their former "comrade".

            "Shun. We'd better warn the others."

            Suboshi nodded and gulped silently.

            "Soi." 

***

             Peals after peals of thunder could be heard, the dim sky flashed with lightning as the ship of the Suzaku seishi neared a lone figure standing on a rock in the sea. From the silhouette, it could be seen that it was a female. She was slightly inappropriately dressed, but the weather did not affect her the slightest bit. She seemed perfectly at home with the raging sky and sea.

  Amiboshi went up to Chichiri, his face a shade paler. 

             "Chichiri, this is Soi. She controls thunder and lightning."

             Chichiri put a hand on the boy's shoulder. 

             "Thanks… Leave it to us. Stay out of trouble and help protect the maiden. Shunkaku, you too." 

             He then turned to face their opponent, together with the rest of the Suzaku shichiseishi after they anchored the ship a distance away from the Seiryuu seishi, eyes ablaze as he silently cast a protective chi barrier over the entire ship.

***

             "You have come far enough. You shall advance no further!" 

             The voice of Soi rang out loud and clear amidst the storm, her reddish locks and cloak flapping in the wind. Her eyes were steeled, as was her determination. 

             Soi wasn't sure what Nakago's motives were: He wouldn't speak of it, and to ask him would merely incur his wrath. But to her, that did not matter. Ever since Nakago saved her from prostitution when she was still a girl, she had already decided to love and to obey Nakago-sama regardless of the situation. She would fight for him, die for him. To her, this was already meant to be. 

  She did not like the guilt that came with her decision, however. How many times had she killed, plundered, and abused the powers bestowed upon her just to please lord Nakago? Inwardly, she hated the pleading look of terror of her victims' eyes. She soon learnt to kill from afar: at least then she wouldn't be able to see her victims' expression. She suppressed her guilt by telling herself that this was for her lord Nakago. Hadn't he killed those men who were forcing her into that despicable job to save her so many years ago?   

  She eyed the group of people aboard the ship. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the two Seiryuu seishi among them.

  _Those wretched twins. How dare they betray lord Nakago and their god?!_

            But she envied them. Of all the Seiryuu seishi, only the two youngest ones still felt human. The rest of them, they were all detached from their emotions, or so well trained that they wouldn't show.

  Soi hoped that the Suzaku bastards would put up a decent fight. At least then she wouldn't feel like she was just doing some merciless slaughter.

***

            Chichiri observed the situation. The fight, he knew, was inevitable. They had strength in quantity, but Soi still had the upper hand. After all, they were all on a boat at the mercy of the weather. A quick look at strategy, they had to depend on range skills. Hand to hand combat would prove more effective against the weather-controlling vixen, but to get anywhere near her would mean risking the ship to the jagged rocks beneath the waves. Which meant that only he and Tasuki had any chance in defeating Soi. He knew that the twins were capable as well, but he would not endanger them if possible. 

  But we may need their help. Tasuki and I would hardly be enough to defend and attack at the same time.

             He saw Soi lifting a slender arm skywards, and a single thunderbolt came crashing down at the ship. The barrier he made earlier thankfully blocked the bolt, which would have split the ship in two.

             Chichiri winced as he felt the barrier weaken. They had to hurry. This lady was strong, and he could not hold up his barrier forever.

             "Tasuki!"

             "Wakkat-teru!"

            Tasuki's diamond tessen was already out. 

            "REKKA-SHIEN!"

             A burst of flames erupted from the tessen, and spiraled towards Soi, only to be put out by the crackling electric barrier around her. 

             "Nani?! Bakayarou!!" Disbelieving, Tasuki tried again, with a different technique. 

            "REKKA-SHIEN"

             This time, the flames formed a ring around Soi. But the barrier of Soi was still resistant.

             Soi…smiled. At the sight of the cold, emotionless expression, Chichiri shuddered. 

 A rain of lightning came crashing down at the ship, which was now rocking dangerously, as Chichiri struggled to hold his stand. 

 This isn't good.

***

             Suboshi watched as the battle continued. Things weren't looking up for them. Chichiri had his hands tied in preventing any of the bolts hitting the ship. Tasuki's flames weren't doing much as the rest of the elements were in Soi's control. Worried, he turned to his brother, who was comforting Miaka. 

             "Aniki…"

             "I know Shun. We should do something. We must. Chichiri-san's barrier isn't going to hold up much longer."

            That said, Amiboshi went up to Tasuki and Chichiri. 

             "Chichiri-san, we'll help. We can't just sit there knowing we can do something to help as you and Tasuki fight to your limits."

            Suboshi got up to join his brother. 

***

            Chichiri looked at the two boys. He didn't want to involve them in the battle with their ex-comrade, but what they said was true. Their weapons weren't elemental, unlike Tasuki's. Reluctantly, he consented. 

            "Ganbatte…and don't get yourself into danger, okay?"

            He got two identical reassuring nods.

***

             The twins joined the battle formation at once. 

             "Hai, aniki!" came the reply, as Suboshi's ryuuseisui shot up, spinning menacingly.

 The older twin put his flute to his mouth and started playing. A haunting melody filled the air, shrill and screechy. 

***

            Soi winced at the devil's song. She struggled to keep her sanity in the tremulous headache, doing so; she was forced to reduce the amount of energy concentrated in her defense. Just when she could think clearly again, a searing pain shot up her right arm. 

            A neat gash was made by the ryuuseisui, drawing blood immediately. The wound stung further with the salty winds of sea. 

Something whizzed past her calf, and she felt as if someone had lashed at her with a whip. A similar wound was made again. 

            Before she could attack, Soi found herself engulfed in flames once more. This time however, she could feel the burning heat from it as it edged closer and closer. 

            Unwillingly, Soi began to feel a sense of fear and panic.

***

            _The table is turning. _Chichiri thought as he readied a chi blast. As Amiboshi's music reached its peak, he released it, the minimal shield Soi had left no longer serving its purpose. He was rewarded with the sight of Soi being blasted into oblivion. 

            The battle was over, and they were victorious.

***

-- Sorry for not updating in…um…since goodness knows how long ago. You have to thank flamingknight673 for this update, BloodyCrystal had this sudden burst of inspiration after receiving the e-mail.

--We know it's short, we know it's filler, but fillers are also essential, so just read, enjoy, and drop in a few kind reviews. (Oh gods, this is getting so old.)

  
 


	11. An Alternate Path

**_An Alternate Path_**

Soi stumbled across the wilderness, her vision glazed by the crimson haze of pain and agony. Slowly, she felt her life force ebb away, but she forced herself forward. Every step she took was an ordeal, a struggle to maintain that precarious balance between life and death. One more step. She had to…just for one last time…

            The flickering lights of the Seiryuu seishi's camp greeted her, wavering like the dying fire of her spirit. 

            She had to see him for one last time.  

***

Nakago looked up from the battle strategies that he had been studying. He felt it. An erratic wave of chi, so faint as to be barely discernable.   
_Soi_.

***

The world was gradually blurring. Soi felt her eyes closing as the cold that she had managed to keep at the edge of her senses slowly seeped through her body.

He was holding her. At least, she could die in his arms…even though she had failed him…failed to repay a debt that never be repaid.

            "N-aka-go-ss-ama…" She could feel the end drawing near, the eternal darkness that was beckoning.

            "I…"

            Her last words dying with her, Soi only could only feel one emotion as she took her last breath.

            Regret. 

***

            "This is downright frustrating," Tamahome commented wryly, "Hokkan didn't have to be _this_ big."

            "Don't worry, no da," Chichiri said cheerfully, "We'll just split up. Why don't we meet back here in another two hours or so?" 

            Miaka nodded with all of her customary exuberance. Her high spirits, however, were immediately dampened by Chichiri saying, "Miaka, why don't you stay here? You need some rest no da."

            "But I want to help…" 

            "You've helped enough, Miaka," Chichiri told her gently, "You need the rest. Nuriko, Koutoku? Maybe you can stay here with her."

            Miaka pouted, but she didn't protest any further. It was hard to argue with Chichiri when he's in that particular mood. Besides, she _was_ a little exhausted. 

            "Shun, why don't you go with Chichiri-san?" Amiboshi suggested in an attempt to get his brother to show some a little interest in everyday events. Ever since their foster father's death, Suboshi had never been _exactly _the same. True, to the casual observer, he seemed to be his usual energetic self, but Amiboshi wasn't so easily deceived.  

            Suboshi shrugged and nodded. Chichiri smiled consolingly at Amiboshi, the smiling mask somehow managing to convey amusement as Amiboshi's eyes widened ever so slightly. Amiboshi knew he shouldn't be surprised that Chichiri knew what was going on, but he was anyway. Chichiri always managed to amaze him by revealing how much he really knew under that smiling façade. Amiboshi was reassured, and extremely grateful. 

            _No matter what happens, Chichiri-san is always there._ That in itself was what Amiboshi believed in. Somehow, over the course of their less than satisfactory life, Chichiri had always been there when they needed it. Amiboshi wondered if they had come to depend on the smiling monk a little too much.        

            But sometimes it was nice to have someone you can trust your life to, especially someone like Chichiri.

***

            Chichiri frowned under his mask. The group of thugs obviously weren't going to be cooperative. Already he could feel the air of animosity around them, and he was sure that those loafers were just waiting for the opportunity to bash someone up. As a monk accompanied by a fifteen-year-old, he and Suboshi were probably their prime choices. He sidestepped them merely to find his way barred by another few of their accomplices. 

            Well, since they didn't seem to have any intentions of letting him pass, he might as well ask them if they knew of the Shinzaho. The idea by itself was totally ludicrous, but Chichiri decided he might as well give it a try while he was at it.

            "Excuse me, but I don't suppose you could tell me of the Genbu Shinzaho's whereabouts?

            The gangsters sneered. "I might have heard of it somewhere," one of the young men drawled to the laughter of his companions, "but it's only fair if you gave us something for our trouble."

            "_Knew this was coming," _Chichiri thought sarcastically. And from the looks of Suboshi's face, he probably knew that they were in for a skirmish. 

            Chichiri ducked as the young man who had spoken swung a blow at his, a maniacal gleam in his eyes. Within seconds, Chichiri found himself amidst five of those unkempt ruffians, while Suboshi was completely lost from sight. These ruffians were probably looking for something to relieve the boredom of their useless existence. 

            Really, they should have had the sense to pick on someone else.

***

Chichiri looked down at the young man who was trying his best to scramble away. So far, the youth wasn't making much success at it, taking into account that he had a broken rib and a badly sprained ankle. He didn't exactly have anywhere to go either, since Suboshi had conveniently planted himself at the mouth of the alley.

"Please, kind sir…let me go…"

            "You told me that you _might_ know the whereabouts of the Shinzaho. Would you care to divulge the information no da?" Chichiri asked cheerfully.

            The young man paled visibly. He obviously didn't know. Chichiri suppressed a sigh. This was obviously a waste of time.

            "I didn't mean it…" The youth looked about ready to faint. Chichiri was just about to let him go when a whimper from the ruffian attracted his attention.

            "They say…that there're monsters at Mount Black, I don't know about this Shinzaho or whatever…but…"

            Chichiri glanced at Suboshi. Suboshi took the signal and moved aside. The youth limped hurriedly out of the alley with barely audible words of gratitude.

***

            Chichiri was thoughtfully silently as he and Suboshi continued on their way. They had no other lead, and he had always believed that rumours were based on facts. Perhaps he could give the young man's words some merit…

            "Chichiri-san?" Suboshi asked, "Are we going to Mount Black? Do you believe him?"

            Chichiri frowned underneath his mask. "I really don't see any other option no da. We'll go back to the others first, and then we'll all go together no da."

            Suboshi was about to inquire the street they walking on suddenly emptied itself in a matter of moments. 

            "There they are!" someone yelled from a distance. 

            Both of them looked back to see the group of gangsters that they had encountered earlier. 

            "Our young friend seems to have gathered some supporters no da," Chichiri noted dryly. Naturally, he wasn't very pleased about the recent turn of events. It wasn't in his nature to get involved in brawls every other hour.

            "Uh," Suboshi agreed, sounding none too enthusiastic either. 

            Chichiri worried absently that the mulish youth might not get off this time with only a sprained ankle.

***

            Suboshi groaned. This is the very last time that he's ever going to deal with louts that have wool for brains…

            _Wait a minute…where's Chichiri-san?_

            Suboshi cursed under his breath, glaring so angrily that one of the gangsters who was crawling his way along the street started scrambling for his life.

            Suboshi didn't bother to try tracking Chichiri's chi. He didn't have much in the way of empathic powers, and Chichiri had plenty of practice in concealing his chi. 

            Was Chichiri looking for him? Maybe he should go back to their meeting place. Chichiri is sure to return there. His decision finally made, Suboshi turned round another corner, tuning in his senses to Amiboshi's chi. After all, it was extremely hard for him to get lost with a twin as a homing beacon. 

***

            Yui walked down the alley, tremendously relieved at having finally left the eyes of her watchful seishi.

             She stopped in mid-stride when she saw a group of street thugs lounging by the walls.

            _"No!!! Help, somebody, help me!" Yui screamed in terror as she struggled against the hold of her attackers._

_            "No one will hear you here…darling…"_

_            "No!!! Miaka, help me!!!"_

"No…" Yui panicked and turned the other way, running down the alley blindly.

            "Umph!" Yui bumped into someone and reeled backwards, almost hitting the ground when a pair of strong arms grasped her.

            "Are you alright, miss?" the person inquired.

Yui pulled away in embarrassment, quickly brushing away the dust from her clothes. "Yes, I'm…" her words froze in mid-air when she found herself staring 

into a pair of very familiar lavender eyes.

 "Su…Suboshi?"

            Yui gasped when the boy's eyes suddenly hardened in pure hatred.

***

            Suboshi stared at the girl before him, barely able to contain the irrational anger that had welled up when he recognized her.

            _This is all her fault. Aniki and I have been waiting for years…for her to show up, to end everything. Instead, things have only become worse. Nakago's murdered otousan, and she hasn't even done anything to help! Why did she let Nakago do this? She must be inhuman…this is all her fault._

Suboshi backed away slowly, still glaring at his Miko hatefully. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. He couldn't let her return to Nakago. If she did, Nakago would still strive to summon Seiryuu, which meant that he and his brother would be forever in fear of the shogun. Even if there was now a way to summon Seiryuu without him and his brother, Nakago would still want them if possible, since it would mean that there would be no need for the Seiryuu seishi to waste their time on finding the Shinzaho.

            "Shunkaku, where have you been no da?" a blessedly familiar voice called.

            Suboshi turned to see Chichiri walking towards him. "Shunkaku, I'm sorry. I lost you among the crowd…" Even as Chichiri spoke, the monk noticed the girl beside Suboshi.

            "Seiryuu no Miko," he acknowledged, "you must have come for the Shinzaho as well."

            Yui nodded, her blue eyes unreadable. 

            Chichiri studied the young girl before him. This was the first chance he had to really observe Yui. The girl's eyes were filled with deep sorrow beyond that of her age. She conveyed grief, jealousy, and… Chichiri identified that last emotion as a profound regret. He knew from Miaka that Yui wasn't entirely to blame for everything. Miaka cared very deeply for her friend, and Chichiri had told her that she should save Yui. Miaka had never given up on her friend. Chichiri was merely afraid that Yui had lost hope in Miaka. 

Something had to be done about this.

"Yui-san," he began, seeing Yui give a start at the use of her name. "We haven't really met before, but I have heard of you from Miaka." Yui's eyes hardened at the mention of Miaka.

"Yui-san, you must understand Miaka very well; she wouldn't do anything to betray you. Miaka has told me that she would do anything within her means to get you back, and she sincerely misses you."

            Yui shook her head vehemently. "No! It's impossible for us to return to the relationship that we once had. Not after what has happened…" 

            Chichiri could only look on silently as tears started to leak out from the edges of her eyes. Suboshi listened to their conversation, utterly confused. 

            "Yui-san, it is not necessary for you to summon Seiryuu, just come back with me, and perhaps you might able to resolve the misunderstanding with Miaka. Yui-san, Miaka still cares about you, I know that. All you have to do is return with me…"

            "No," Yui answered coldly, twisting her head away from Chichiri's gaze. "I'm already prepared to summon Seiryuu. It is already too late, Suzaku seishi."

            "Yui, perhaps it isn't. You refuse to see the truth because you afraid. Miaka can explain…it's just a misunderstanding…"

            Yui turned to go.

            Chichiri frowned. He wondered if he was ever like this when he was a teenager. Undoubtedly so, he thought ruefully. 

            He couldn't stand by and watch what happened to him repeat itself again with Yui and Miaka.

Delivering a sharp careful rap to the back of the girl's head, he quickly caught Yui as she slumped to the ground. He noticed that Suboshi was staring at him in utmost disbelief. Chichiri admitted that this was more than a little out of character for him, but he wanted to see the problem within the two mikos resolved.

He'd deal with the problem at hand first and make amends later. 

"Shunkaku, we'd better leave now no da."

            Suboshi followed Chichiri back to their meeting place, looking extremely skeptical about the entire matter.

***

 "Miaka-san…"Amiboshi said worriedly as they walked down the street. Miaka had insisted on going after Tamahome.

 "What is it, Amiboshi?" Miaka asked.

             "I sense something…it's a…Seiryuu seishi's chi," Amiboshi scanned their surroundings quickly, "In fact, I think it's…"

             Right on cue, a snarl resounded from above the rooftops. A hulking figure leaped down. 

             "Suzaku no Miko…I've finally found my meal at last." 

             "…Ashitare." Amiboshi finished.

***

            "Kill the Suzaku no Miko!" Ashitare snarled as he lunged himself at Miaka.

            "Miaka!!!" Nuriko leaped in between them and flung Miaka out of the way.

             "Nuriko!" Miaka cried as Nuriko gripped his arm, his face twisted in pain.

             Ashitare turned his attention back to Miaka. "Finally…" he hissed.

            Miaka blanched, her head swinging frantically around. "Hotohori's sword, where is Hotohori's sword?! Waaa!!" she wailed, "The sword is with the others!"

             "Ashitare." Amiboshi said coldly.

            The beast-man whipped his head around. "Traitor…" he snarled, "I will deal with you…after I've dealt with Suzaku no Miko.

            Amiboshi brought his flute to his mouth. Instinctively, Miaka and Nuriko covered their ears with their hands as the first few notes of the ear-piercing melody rang out on the frosty plane.

             Ashitare howled in pain. "You will pay for this, traitor," he bounded off, leaping over the rooftops, his howls of frustration resounding throughout the quiet town.

             "Nuriko-san!" Amiboshi knelt down beside Miaka, "Are you alright?"

             Nuriko nodded. "I'm fine, I just need some rest."

             "Let's go back to the monument," Miaka suggested, her face still pale from fright.

             She smiled gratefully at Amiboshi. "Arigatou, Amiboshi."

            Amiboshi smiled awkwardly. "After all you've done for me, it was nothing, Miaka-san."  

***

  "Chichiri!!" Miaka cried happily as they returned. Half of the Suzaku seishi were already gathered. Her eyes widened when she saw the girl he held in his arms. "Yui-chan…"

            "We met on our way back no da," Chichiri explained simply.

             Miaka was still staring at Yui in disbelief, obviously not listening to a single one of his words.

Chichiri noticed Nuriko's arm. "Nuriko-kun, what happened?"

             "A Seiryuu seishi that looked like a wolf attacked us just now," Miaka answered as she was jolted back to reality at the mention of Nuriko's arm. She frowned, "Amiboshi said that his name was…was…"

             "Was it Ashitare, Aniki?" Suboshi asked. Amiboshi nodded in reply.

            Tamahome scowled. "They never know when to give up, do they? One after another, they can't even play fair and do something honest to get the Shinzaho." He was obviously in a terrible temper over the incident, not even noticing the identical flinches of the twins at his mention of the Seiryuu seishi's deceit.

            Chichiri didn't miss it. Trying to divert the others' attention from the awkward comment, he addressed the elder twin. "Thank you for saving Miaka's life no da."

            Amiboshi looked embarrassed. "You're welcome…it was only what I should have done."

            "Chichiri, have you found out the fuckin' whereabouts of the Shinzaho?" Tasuki asked, his temper seemingly no better than Tamahome's. Both of them had identical swells on their heads—courtesy of Nuriko to prove it. 

             "Perhaps, perhaps not no da," Chichiri answered vaguely. What he had discovered was no more than the thinnest straw. "We've heard rumours that there were strange happenings in Mount Black, but it's rather far-fetched no da." 

             Miaka, on the other hand, seemed to automatically assume that they had the Shinzaho within their grasp. "We've finally got something!" she squealed. Chichiri couldn't help noticing that Miaka was always a trifle over-enthusiastic over everything. True, her hyper and outgoing attitude might be the driving force of her seishi, but it might prove to be a disaster as well. Now was not the time to discuss the matter though. 

             "We should find a place to stay for the night, though," said Nuriko while eyeing the unconscious Yui.

             Miaka agreed eagerly, "And we can have dinner! I'm soooo hungry! After that, I can explain everything to Yui-chan and things will be all right!"

            Everybody sweat dropped. "Miaka, it's only four-o-clock," Nuriko commented wryly.

***

             "Shun, is she…?" Amiboshi asked, staring at the unconscious Yui. Tamahome and Nuriko were having a private talk in the inn's common room, Miaka was still busy gobbling up her food. It left the twins to watch over the unconscious girl. 

             "Hai, Yui-sama is the Seiryuu no Miko," Suboshi said grimly.

             Amiboshi couldn't place his brother's sudden change in attitude. Ever since Suboshi had returned with Chichiri and Yui, Suboshi had entered a harsh, almost sullen phase. He also seemed to be silently glowering at Yui's direction. It was almost as if he held a personal grudge against their Miko. 

             "Otouto, what's troubling you?"

  Suboshi's head jerked up, "Nothing, Aniki."

            Amiboshi frowned slightly. "Otouto, I _know_ you're hiding something."

             Suboshi didn't answer. Instead, he seemed to be directing his effort into examining the teacup he was holding.

             "Shun…"

             "Aniki," Suboshi suddenly burst out, "It's all her fault!"

 Amiboshi looked perplexed. "Yui's fault? Why?"

            "She is the Seiryuu no Miko, isn't she? Why didn't she do something when…when Nakago…otousan…" Suboshi's voice broke, his hands gripping the teacup firmly.

            Amiboshi could only stare at his twin in shock. "Otouto…she might not know…"

            "No! She's cruel! She doesn't care about anything or anyone!"

            "Otouto, how would you know that?" Amiboshi gently pried the cup from Suboshi's grip; he didn't want his twin to hurt himself.

            "She was there…" 

            "Where?" 

            "When Nakago was…whipping me…she was there. She didn't do anything to stop it…and she…didn't do anything to help otousan either…"

            Amiboshi put his arms around his twin. Just a slight mention of the painful past was enough to send Suboshi in tears again. 

            "But Yui is Miaka-san's best friend. Miaka-san is a good person; I trust her judgment in her friends. Maybe Yui has her own dilemma…"

            "No…no…" Suboshi said stubbornly. 

            Amiboshi held his brother silently as Suboshi went on sobbing.

***

_-- All right, in response to all the reviews, we killed Soi. Sorry, we feel Soi's a very interesting character (at the very least, Snowdancer does), but her death serves to further the plot. _

_-- Again, we apologize for the oh-ever-so-slow updates. School, you understand._


	12. Reconciliations

_Reconciliations _

"Hi, everybody!" Tasuki exclaimed gleefully, "Didn't know that you would invite the entire village, are we goin' to party…?"

Everyone stared at Tasuki with looks mixed with incredulity. Nuriko rolled his eyes. Chiriko, Mitsukake and Tasuki had returned two hours ago, and Tasuki had made good use of the time to once again consume more sake than he could hold. Nuriko was debating on whether it would be advisable to dunk Tasuki into a bucket of freezing water or simply box him out of his drunken state when Chichiri noticed the absence of the twins.

            "Where's Koutoku and Shunkaku-chan?" Chichiri asked, looking around for the twins.

             "Oh, they're watching over Yui," Tamahome answered.

             "Yui?" Chiriko asked curiously. Being the latest to join the Suzaku Shichiseishi, Chiriko did not know about the conflict between Miaka and Yui. 

             "Yui was Miaka's best friend," Tamahome explained, "But then there was this slight…misunderstanding, so Yui ended up as Seiryuu no Miko, and was bent on fighting Miaka. Chichiri met her just now, and uh..." Tamahome blinked, noticing the gaps in his story. 

            "Chichiri, why was Yui unconscious?"

            Chichiri couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Outwardly, though, he merely answered matter-of-factly, "Yui-san was being a little stubborn, and I had to persuade her to come with me."

             This time the blatant stares were rather obvious.

            "Persuade?" Miaka asked flatly.

            Chichiri coughed embarrassedly. "With reason, Miaka."

            Chiriko's eyes went wide. "Seiryuu no Miko? She became your enemy after a slight misunderstanding, Miaka? What caused it?"

  "Uh…" Tamahome said delicately, "The topic isn't really suitable for children of your age…"

             "Miaka's friend was raped…" Tasuki muttered, "The poor gal was probably hysterical about it, so she was mad as shit when…" Tasuki fell with a loud 'plunk!' onto the floor in mid-sentence. Nuriko stood up and brushed his hands calmly.

            Chiriko's eyes had grown larger and larger at Tasuki's generously supplied information. "Ra…raped? But…I thought…"

             Nuriko butted in quickly. "Don't think about it, Chiriko. It's…"

            This time, Chiriko was not about to be distracted. "I thought you said that Yui was the Seiryuu no Miko."

            "Yes," Tamahome said, "But Miaka'll settle everything when Yui wakes up…"

            "Mikos are supposed to be virgins," Chiriko said, still looking confused, "in fact, it says so right here in the…"

             "Chiriko!" Tasuki exclaimed, suddenly awake from his drunken stupor. "Kids aren't supposed to talk so vulgarly!"

            "Minna-san," Chiriko said patiently, his voice taking on a lecturing tone, "if Mikos are supposed to be virgins, how could Yui be the Seiryuu no Miko if she was raped?"

            The whole room went dead silent. 

            Miaka blinked. And blinked again. And blinked for a third time. "So…you mean that Yui-chan wasn't…you-know-what?"

Chiriko nodded sagely. "Hai, or she wouldn't be qualified to be the Seiryuu no Miko." 

Miaka couldn't believe her ears. "But I saw…I saw…"

"Did you see your friend…being…abused?" Chiriko asked, trying to find a more decent word to replace 'raped'. 

            Miaka nodded. "I saw her being attacked. She was screaming for help, and…" 

            "Did her attackers…sexually abuse her? Did you see that, Miaka-san?"

            Miaka's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "No…I couldn't bear to watch anymore…Yui-chan…"

            Chiriko smiled triumphantly. "So, it confirms my theory. Miaka, you assumed that Yui was abused because you saw her being attacked. Yui thought she was…um…harmed because she was probably unconscious by then. In reality, your friend was rescued before anything…untoward happened. Well, this does…" he couldn't finish his sentence because Miaka had enveloped him in a tight bear hug. 

            "Chiriko, you're a _genius_!"

            Nuriko rolled his eyes upward. "Only a glutton can keep stating something that's _so_ painfully obvious."

***

             "Yui-chan, you're finally awake." Yui opened her eyes to see Miaka staring down at her in concern.

            Yui groaned. She had a terrible headache. _Where am I? What happened?_

            The small room was crowded. As Yui's vision cleared, she noticed that Miaka and all seven of her seishi were there, with the addition of Suboshi and his twin brother as well. Yui's blood ran cold.

            _Why does Suboshi look at me so?_ Yui shook her head. That thought was totally random. She was starting to feel the first pangs of panic.

            "Yui-chan…you must listen. I can explain everything," Miaka said earnestly.

            Reality came crashing down. "No!!!" Yui sat up violently. _Ouch, my head really hurts._ "It's all your fault! I can't…"

            "Yui-chan," Miaka interrupted her, "nothing happened. You weren't raped."

            Yui gaped at her former best friend in shock. _She must be lying…_ "Iie, you…" All the Suzaku seishi looked at her knowingly. Tamahome nodded. 

            _No…then there isn't a reason for me to summon Seiryuu, I shouldn't be fighting Miaka…nothing happened._

"No, you must be lying…"

            "Yui-chan, you wouldn't be able to become the Seiryuu no Miko if you were raped. A Miko must be a virgin," Miaka explained gently, seeing her friend's distraught state, "Nakago lied to you so that you would become the Seiryuu no Miko. He did it to make you seek revenge against me."

            Miaka grasped Yui's hand tightly. "Yui-chan, you know that I'm telling the truth. I would _never_ lie to you." 

            Yui felt tears seeping out from her eyes. "Miaka…I'm sorry. I was so angry…I thought that you came back only because you wanted to see Tamahome…"

             Miaka hugged her tightly. "I came back for you, Yui-chan. I came back for you. I wouldn't have come back if it weren't for you."

            "Miaka…" Yui went on crying, but this time, she was crying tears of joy. Miaka hadn't abandoned her after all. It was all a mistake, just a stupid mistake.

***

            Suboshi watched Miaka ad Yui's reunion with huge eyes. So Yui had been manipulated by Nakago as well. On that one count, he could sympathize with her.

            _But that does not change what she has done…or did not do. She might have been used, but she still could have stopped Nakago from killing otousan._

He still hated her.

***

            Ashitare howled as Nakago's whip came down mercilessly, reminding him of the price of his failure. 

            Nakago was _most_ displeased. Not only have they failed in killing the Suzaku no Miko, but he had received information from his spies that Yui had somehow been reunited with Suzaku no Miko. 

 All in all, their total count of loss was alarming. First, they had lost Amiboshi. Then Suboshi had followed his twin. Now he had lost control of the most essential figure in the summoning ceremony—the priestess herself. 

But to him, somehow losing Soi had…hurt the most. When the twins left the Seiryuu seishi, he had brushed them off as a minor loss. A barely noticeable inconvenience.

When Soi left, he had felt something more. An emotion he couldn't quite identify. But it was definitely a negative one.   
            When he had learned that Yui was reunited with the Suzaku no Miko, he didn't particularly feel anything. No real anger at his plans coming to nothing, no desperate need to renew his schemes for revenge.

He felt nothing, and he didn't know why he could be so apathetic.

Nakago hated being ignorant. And he was showing his displeasure right now. Losing control of his own feelings griped.

             "You will remember that it was I who saved you from humiliation and torture in the hands of others." Ashitare whimpered as Nakago calmly delivered another stroke. "You will remember that it I was who provided you with shelter." Another lash resulted in another howl of pain. 

            "You must redeem you failure in killing the Suzaku no Miko. Follow the Suzaku seishi, and return with Genbu Shinzaho." He didn't care anymore, but what else could he do? Revenge had been the only reason for his existence.

            "You do not want me to remind you of the price of failure again."

            Nakago flung the whip onto a table. 

            He had finally come to a conclusion.

            When Soi died, a part of him had died with her.

            His emotions.

***

            "We're here at last!" Miaka exclaim happily. 

            Yui couldn't help smiling at her friend's enthusiasm. Miaka looked so happy with Tamahome. Yui no longer begrudged her friend's love for Tamahome. She knew that her own declared feelings for Tamahome had been spawned out of her petty jealousy over Miaka. Now, she was just happy that she and Miaka had finally cleared up their misunderstanding. After Miaka summons Suzaku, she'll be able to return her own world. Miaka, of course, wanted to remain with Tamahome, but at least, Yui knew that she would forever have a place in her friend's heart. 

            Nuriko easily tossed the gigantic boulder that was blocking the entrance out of the way. Miaka ran in impatiently, with Tamahome going after the erratic Miko like a mother hen.  

            "Ahh…" Miaka said weakly, "Bones…bones…"

            "Fuck! Human bones!" Tasuki shrieked.

            "Miaka, move out of the way!" Tamahome pushed her aside as a menacing green light flashed. Miaka stared in horror as multitudes of ice arrows embedded themselves on the ground, right at the exact spot that she had been standing on before.  

            "You have come for the Shinzaho," a voice said, the speaker shrouded by the darkness of the cave.

             "Miaka, no!" Tamahome called as Miaka ran forward. "Who are you? Show yourselves!" she yelled angrily.

             Green orbs of light lit up the dark cave. "You are very brave," the voice answered, "I am known as Hikitsu."

             "And I," a second voice said, "am known as Tomite."

            Two figures appeared. The first one, with long silver hair, had an eyepatch over his right eye, giving him a villainous look. His companion had a quiver filled with arrows slung across his back, and his green eyes were narrowed suspiciously. 

             "They have a very strong chi no da," said Chichiri worriedly. 

            "Are they Seiryuu seishi?" Tamahome asked.  Both twins shook their heads. 

            "Then…who the fuckin' hell are you?" Tasuki demanded, his trusty tessen held firmly in both hands.

             "We are Genbu Shichiseishi, and we are obeying Genbu no Miko's orders to guard the Genbu Shinzaho."

            "Wait!" Miaka cried, dashing forward, "Ahhh!" she screamed in pain as she was assaulted by ice snakes. 

             "REKKA SHINEN!" The ice snakes melted as waves of burning flames washed over them.

             "Prepare to die, intruders," Tomite said coldly, "You will see how deep our loyalty to our Miko goes."

            "No!!!" Miaka cried, "We need the Genbu Shinzaho to summon Suzaku, please, Genbu Shichiseishi, we won't be able to return to Konan without the Shinzaho," she fell on her knees, "Please, give us the Shinzaho…"

             Tomite paused while he exchanged considering glances with Hikitsu. "So you are the Suzaku seishi with their maiden," he said finally. "Yet I sense a difference of chi," he said, directing his gaze suspiciously at Amiboshi and Suboshi.

            "They're Seiryuu Shichiseishi. They are here to help us." Miaka explained quickly.

             Tomite and Hikitsu stiffened visibly at the words "Seiryuu Shichiseishi". 

             "Uh oh, not good no da," Chichiri muttered, "Hokkan was at war with Kutou two-hundred years ago. In fact, they summoned Genbu in defense of their country. I doubt that the Genbu seishi would be amenable to the presence of Seiryuu seishi no da."

            "Uh…Chichiri-san," Amiboshi said apprehensively, "We didn't mean…maybe otouto and I shouldn't be here."

             "What are Seiryuu Shichiseishi doing here?" Tomite demanded angrily, "Don't tell me that Kutou wishes to attack our country again!"  
             "No! No!" Miaka said frantically, "You've got it all wrong! Amiboshi and Suboshi left the rest of the Seiryuu seishi and joined us! They're going to help us summon Suzaku!"

             Tomite and Hikitsu looked skeptical. "You defected?" Hikitsu asked finally.

            Amiboshi nodded. "Hai, we just want to put an end to the war. The Suzaku seishi helped us, so now we're assisting them in return." 

            Hikitsu studied the twins thoughtfully. "Maybe, I'll give you the benefit of doubt. But you…" he pointed at Miaka, "You still have to prove that you are truly the Suzaku no Miko."

             Miaka nodded, her eyes steeled in resolve. "I understand." Turning towards the others, she said, "Minna-san, don't do anything to help me, I must do this myself."

            "Take off your clothes," Tomite ordered.

  Miaka blushed brightly. Tamahome's face turned purple with rage. "Hentai! Ecchi!" he screamed, "How could you ask Miaka to do something like that!"

             "You don't have to do it if you don't want to," Tomite said lazily.

             "I'll do it," Miaka said firmly, starting to strip herself of her clothes.

             Tamahome's eyes bulged. "Don't look!" he yelled, jumping in front of the other seishi.

             "That's enough." Hikitsu said when Miaka had stripped everything but her underclothes.

             Tamahome looked weak with relief. "Phew! She didn't have to take off everything." His relief was short-lived, however, when Miaka was slowly encompassed in an unbreakable wall of ice.

***

            _Cold…it's so cold…_ Miaka shivered. _I can't feel anything anymore…_

            _No! I cannot lose! I must send Yui-chan back home. I want to be with Tamahome. I promised to help Amiboshi and Suboshi as well…I cannot die here…_

             Miaka closed her eyes in a silent prayer. _Suzaku, help me. Tamahome, Nuriko, Tasuki, Chichiri, Chiriko, Mitsukake…please lend me your strength._

Gradually, she felt a comforting warmth suffuse her—the individual chi of her seishi. Slowly, the pain and numbness caused by the ice wall receded as the warmth grew in strength and intensity.

            With a blazing crimson light, the ice wall shattered into a million shards.

            "Miaka!" Within the blink of an eye, Tamahome had Miaka held tightly in his arms.

             "Miaka, are you all right?" Yui asked anxiously.

            "Hai…I'm fine." Miaka said, smiling jubilantly. "I did it!"

            Hikitsu nodded. "Yes, we've witnessed your power, Suzaku no Miko. We've seen the fire of Suzaku."

            "Come," Tomite beckoned, "we will take you to the Shinzaho."

***

            "It's beautiful," Miaka said breathlessly as they entered a grandiose chamber.

            "Come with us, Suzaku no Miko."

            "This is the Genbu Shinzaho," Tomite said. There, lying on pale green silk, was a sparkling necklace with an amethyst jewel encrusted in the middle.

            "The Genbu no Miko was wearing this when she performed the summoning ceremony. It has the power to summon a beast god," Hikitsu said.

            _Finally, I can summon Suzaku. Miaka clutched the necklace to her chest protectively._

            "Sorry," Tomite's voice startled Miaka from her moment of self-congratulation, "But you can't summon Suzaku with only this."

            "NANI!!!!!" everybody screamed.

            "Without the Byakko Shinzaho from Sailo, the Genbu Shinzaho is unable to exert its power," Tomite explained.

            "Ehh," Chichiri said sheepishly, "Come to think of it, I recall that Taiitsukun said we must journey to the lands of Hokkan, she didn't say that it would accomplish our mission of summoning Suzaku."

             "SHIT!" Tasuki yelled, "Why didn't you tell us earlier!"

            "It's all right, minna-san," Miaka said soothingly, "We've already acquired the Genbu Shinzaho, I'm sure we'll get the one from Sailin as well."

            "Sailo, Miaka," Nuriko corrected dryly. 

            "You're right, Miaka," Chiriko said brightly, "I'm sure we'll be able to do it." The rest of the seishi agreed.

            Tamahome, however, looked like a man who had just reached the heights of his existence…only to find all his hopes cruelly dashed.

***

            "It feels wonderful to be out in the sunshine again," Miaka exclaimed, stretching herself.

             Just then, a hulking figure pounced—and snatched the Shinzaho from Miaka's hands.

            "Ashitare!" Nuriko gasped.

            Tamahome hurled a colossal chi-blast at the beast's direction. But Ashitare, with the ferocious speed of a wild animal, had already bounded off, the Shinzaho within his grasp.

            "Miaka!!" Tamahome yelled as she went running after Ashitare.

            _Must get him… Miaka ran as fast as she could, barely keeping the massive figure within her sight._

            Suddenly, her right foot connected with a rock—and sent her sprawling forwards. 

            _Give it back to me…Tears started running down her cheeks. __Give it back…_

            "Miaka!" She found herself in Tamahome's warm embrace. 

            "It's gone…I lost it," she muttered.

             "Miaka, it's all right. There is still another Shinzaho, remember? We can get it before Nakago does," Tamahome said gently.

            "But it won't…work without this one…" Miaka sobbed.

            "Shhh…Nakago won't be able to do anything with this one either. As long as we get the other one before he does, we can still try to get this one back."

            Miaka rubbed her tears away. "Really?"

             "I'll get the Shinzaho back for you, Miaka. For us. I swear I will." From the look on Tamahome's face, it seemed possible that he might be able to blast Nakago into a million minute pieces if Nakago had showed up right then. 

***

            Yui watched in pity as her best friend cried in disappointment. That Shinzaho had meant a lot to Miaka. And to Yui herself as well. She turned away from Miaka and Tamahome, and for that one moment, her eyes met with Suboshi's. 

            Suboshi himself wore a look of utter despair. The lost of the Shinzaho seemed to have hit him even more hardly than it did Yui. And for the one moment that their gazes connected, Yui unconsciously tried to console his grief and pain.

            Then that brief moment had passed. Suboshi seemed to suddenly realize who he was looking at and wrenched his gaze from hers. It happened so quickly that Yui began to wonder if that flash of understanding between them had really happened at all.

            _I must talk to him. I must ask him why he hates me so much._

***

            Yui walked down the stairs to the common room where Miaka and the others were. Tomorrow, they were going to begin their long trek through the desert. If she was going to talk to Suboshi, she had better do it now. The boy had been avoiding her like a plague. He was never within sight, and if he were, he would always glare at her so fiercely that Yui would back away. 

            His brother, Amiboshi, was certainly friendly enough. Yui found it amazing that two people who were identical to the very last hair could be so different in personality. Amiboshi always answered everybody with a smile. But then, Suboshi had been nice enough when he talked to Miaka or the Suzaku seishi, especially the monk with the smiling mask, Chichiri. She seemed to be the only who was receiving this cold, bitter reception. Yui was certainly beginning to question her luck. Out of her own seishi, Nakago had fed her with lies, trying to manipulate her to his own ends. Soi and Tomo's loyalty lay with Nakago and not with her. Ashitare was half-beast, with animal instincts, and was loyal only to one master—Nakago. Miboshi scared her, with his sinister third eye and sadistic nature. Suboshi treated her as if she were some kind of lethal disease. The only Seiryuu seishi with a semblance of standard seishi behaviour was Amiboshi. Miaka's seishi were all so devoted to their Miko. Her own seishi weren't even concerned about her welfare.  

             She found Amiboshi in the common room, but his twin wasn't there. She took the empty seat next to Amiboshi.

            "Amiboshi, do you know where Suboshi is?"

            Amiboshi looked surprised. "Otouto is in the gardens," he answered, still staring at her in disbelief, "But…uh…Shun isn't in a very good mood right now…"

            Yui understood his concern. From the way Suboshi stared daggers at her, any wise person would know better than to go within close quarters of him.

            "It's nothing, Amiboshi. I was just curious, seeing that he isn't here with you." Yui stood up. "Good night, Amiboshi."

            "Oyasumi, Yui."

***

            Yui pulled her cloak tightly around her as she walked through the gardens. The frosty night was silent, with the pale half-moon casting its silver glow onto the serene surroundings. Yui experienced a strange calm as she walked past the snow-covered trees and shrubs. The snow reflected the moonlight, giving the garden an almost divine and surreal appearance. Amidst it all, she saw a lone figure sitting next to the pond, its surface already covered with a thin sheet of sparkling ice, breaking the pale moonlight into a thousand multi-coloured facets. 

            "Suboshi." He turned his head at the sound of his voice. As usual, Suboshi's eyes narrowed visibly when he saw her. He got up to leave.

            "Suboshi, wait!" Yui called, running towards him. He stared at her coldly as she moved to block his way.

             "I need to speak to you," she said.

            Suboshi turned away. "There is nothing that we need to talk about. Excuse me." He tried to squeeze past her.

            "Suboshi! Why do you hate me so much?" 

            Suboshi turned back suddenly, his eyes blazing in sudden fury. "Do you really want to know?" he inquired impassively.

            Yui tried not to recoil at the sight of those violet eyes, burning with wrath. 

            "If you have to ask, that means you're really as heartless as I thought," he said coldly. 

            "Suboshi!" Yui said, grabbing his arm, "I really do not know, you could at least tell me! Is it because of what had happened in the dungeons?" _I'm sorry, Suboshi. But I really couldn't help you then. Yes, he must be blaming me for that._

Suboshi merely stood there, his face expressionless, only his eyes betraying the anger that he was feeling.

            "Suboshi, I couldn't help you. I wanted to, but I couldn't. Do you know that Nakago had already whipped Tamahome before that?" said Yui, "Suboshi, Nakago knew that I loved Tamahome. At least, I _thought_ I loved him. But he whipped Tamahome because Tamahome tried to return to Miaka. Nakago knew that I would never agree to anything like that, but he did it anyway. Yes, I could have told him to stop whipping you, but I wouldn't know if he did anything similar in the future behind my back. Suboshi, I didn't want to let you get hurt for a second time, don't you understand?"

            "No!! Even if what you've just said is true, you should have done something when Nakago killed otousan!" Suboshi yelled, pulling away his arm from Yui's grip, "You didn't do anything!"

             Yui went rigid with shock. "Otousan?" she whispered in confusion. "Suboshi, what did Nakago do? Tell me!"

            Suboshi glared at her. "Don't tell me you didn't know about that!"

  Yui shook her head dazedly. "Suboshi, I didn't…I really didn't. Nakago doesn't tell me a quarter of his plans. Suboshi…what happened to your otousan?" She watched numbly as Suboshi's eyes started to fill with tears.

            "Nakago killed him, because Aniki and I left…the Seiryuu seishi. He did it…so that we would go back…he has okaasan now…" Suboshi sank down onto the grass weakly. Yui sat down beside him, commiseration welling up within her. It took all of her self-control to stop herself from bringing her hand to her mouth to stop the bile that was rising in her throat.

             _He blames me for that…he thought that I knew, and stood by while Nakago murdered his father in cold blood._

"Suboshi," she began awkwardly, "I'm…sorry. I really am. I didn't know, or I would have done something."

            Suboshi looked at her tearfully. There was…something in her words that had a ring of truth. "Are…you…speaking the truth?"

            Yui nodded. Something stirred inside her. Right now, she sees a young boy, without a home, without his parents, not knowing if he would ever see his mother alive again. She did something that she thought she would never do. She wrapped her arms around him, drawing him closer, trying to ease his pain. She had never done that to any other man before, with the sole exception of Tamahome. Suboshi looked up at her in surprise.

             "I think…I know what you're feeling. You're lost, and you don't know what to do…" 

             Tears still streaked down Suboshi's cheeks. "I'm so afraid, I'm scared that I'll lose okaasan too…"

            He didn't know why he was telling her this. He had never talked about his fears to anyone except Amiboshi. 

             "And most of all…I'm afraid that I'll lose Aniki…" 

            "But you're fighting for everybody now," Yui said softly, "As soon as Miaka summons Suzaku, your family will be safe. As long as you never give up, there's always hope." She gazed into his eyes, their lavender depths still brimming with tears.

            "I was…like you…once," she said, "I thought that Miaka had abandoned me, and that I was…raped. Everything was going wrong…Tamahome didn't love me… I wanted revenge. I hated Miaka, and I did what I did out of rage and jealousy." She smiled at him. "Sometimes, you can decide your own fate. If you choose justly, I'm sure that events will follow the path you choose. You're not alone…you still have your brother, and your friends."

            Slowly, and hesitantly, Suboshi returned her smile.

             "Gomen nasai, Yui-sama, for being so rude…" he said uneasily.

            _Yui-sama? Oh, Nakago had introduced me to him as Yui-sama. She sighed. Their first meeting had been less…than fortunate._

            "It's all right. We'd better go back, the others must be wondering where we are now." She offered him her hand. Tentatively, Suboshi accepted it. 

***


End file.
